Why Getting Booed Might Help Arch Manning Turn Things Around

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning has had a shaky start this season, and his most recent performance felt like a step in the wrong direction.

Manning completed 11 of 25 passes for just 114 yards against the UTEP Miners, and it seemed as though Longhorn fans weren’t impressed by his level of play. In an effort to express their dissatisfaction, the crowd booed their own starting quarterback on Saturday.

While momentarily losing the trust of a home crowd is not a positive sign, ESPN analyst Greg McElroy believes getting booed isn’t the end of the world for the redshirt sophomore.

Greg McElroy on Manning’s situation

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Mannin — Texas football player, Arch Manning, (16) throws the ball during a football game against UTEP at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas, on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. | Gaby Velasquez / El Paso Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

McElroy, who played quarterback for the Alabama Crimson Tide and then for both the New York Jets and the Cincinnati Bengals, says that being booed is just part of the experience of being a starting quarterback.

“You haven’t lived until you’ve been booed at home,” McElroy said Tuesday on SportsCenter. “As a player for the Jets and I even got booed Alabama, so it happens. It’s good, believe me. Here’s what I’ll say. There’s a lot to clean up – and it starts with his mechanics. When things are sideways and things are moving a million miles an hour, he’s got to clean up his mechanics.”

Alabama and Texas both contain fanbases accustomed to being surrounded by athletic success, which can increase the amount of pressure the athletes at these institutions face. However, if Manning wants to earn back the trust of his fans, the uproar from his crowd will need to serve as somewhat of a wake up call.

This is a reality that he seems to be aware of already. In fact, most of what McElroy had to say about Manning, he has already said about himself. The quarterback has emphasized in press conferences that he needs to play better to help his team win, and after last Saturday’s matchup against the UTEP Miners, he made it clear that improving his accuracy and working on his mechanics will be his focus in practice this week.

The road ahead might be a long one, but McElroy doesn’t think it’s time to give up yet.

“So it’s going to be for him and for Steve Sarkisian, his play-caller, to get him more comfortable in the game plan,” he said. “Get him comfortable playing the position. And focus this week not about who you’re playing against, but more on what you need to do to be successful. So don’t worry about Sam Houston State. Let’s focus on the footwork, the drops, the mechanics, the progressions, the reads and the accuracy. That’s where it starts because he’s got plenty of talent. Now, he’s just got to play his way into it.”