Urban Meyer Sends Strong Message About Texas QB Arch Manning's Critics

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning is entering a pivotal season on the Forty Acres that could ultimately determine how his legacy is viewed as one of the most talked-about players in the sport's history.

With Texas failing to even make the College Football Playoff last season, Manning was met with loads of criticism, which particularly focused on his poor start to the year in losses to Ohio State and Florida. Manning ended up bouncing back strong, but the damage had already been done to Texas' CFP resume.

Urban Meyer, who coincidentally enough was a championship-winning head coach at both Ohio State and Florida, talked about the criticism Manning has faced on a recent episode of "The Triple Option" podcast, saying that some of the negative reactions toward Manning won't be stopping anytime soon.

However, he also made sure to remind some of the doubters that Manning was hardly at fault for all of the shortcomings that Texas experienced last season.

Urban Meyer Backs Arch Manning

It's no secret that Manning struggled in the season opener against Ohio State last year. Poor accuracy, a costly interception in the second half, and an overall lack of comfortability in what ended up being a 14-7 loss.

But Meyer is making it clear that the Texas receivers, along with some stout Ohio State defense, were major reasons why Manning didn't play up to expectations, which led to some early-season criticism.

"I think the common denominator of every great quarterback is a great group of players around him, and I remember talking to Sark about this," Meyer said. "Everybody's all over Arch Manning, and I get it. You're a quarterback and you have that last name? Get used to it pal that's gonna be the rest of your life. However, when players aren't open, that's not the quarterback's fault. And the receivers against Ohio State really struggled. They're very talented, they didn't play great in that game."

Arch Manning is planning to build on the growth he showed at the end of last season @Wendys #WendysPartner @TheStampedeUT pic.twitter.com/AuwoAyxRp1
— The Triple Option (@3xOptionShow) July 14, 2026

Manning finished that game 17 of 30 passing for 170 yards, one touchdown and one interception along with 10 carries for 38 yards. It's not exactly a nightmare stat line in what was a defensive-heavy contest, but the eye test for Manning told most of the story.

Fortunately, he and the Longhorns will have an early chance at revenge this upcoming season when Ohio State comes to Austin for a Sept. 10 matchup.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google