Entering the 2025 college football season, Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning was widely viewed as a favorite candidate to end up winning the Heisman Trophy at the end of the year. He was also viewed as a potential No. 1 overall pick candidate in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Through the Longhorns’ first five games of the season, Manning has fallen extremely far short of those expectations.
Right now, Texas holds a 3-2 record. Coming out of the team’s loss to the unranked Florida Gators this week, the future is very murky for the Longhorns. While they may not be officially eliminated from College Football Playoff contention, they’re not in good shape.
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All season long, Manning has struggled to get going. He has looked lost at times. That has led to a lot of media scrutiny about the young signal caller and the fans are extremely frustrated with him as well.
Following Texas’ loss to the Gators, head coach Steve Sarkisian spoke out in defense of his quarterback. He noted how Manning battled against Florida despite coming away with a loss.
“Don’t question his heart at all, he battled,” Sarkisian said.
It didn’t take long for fans to respond to Sarkisian’s comment. Manning was quickly under fire from them as frustration continues to get worse surrounding the Longhorns’ football program.
“It’s not his heart we’re worried about,” one fan wrote. “It’s his arm.”
Another fan chimed in, “I don’t question his heart. I question his football IQ.”
“Looking for a winner, no a battler,” a third comment read.
A fourth fan said, “No one questioned his heart. They questioned if he is a starting QB on a playoff team.”
“Yeah that’s not gonna cut it, this ain’t pee wee,” another commenter stated.
Obviously, there are not many people who are happy with Manning regardless of how hard he competes. After coming into the season as a national championship favorite, Texas is expected to win. That hasn’t been something the team has been able to prove it can do.
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Manning has completed 60 percent of his passes for 1,151 yards, 11 touchdowns, and five interceptions so far this season, while also running for 160 yards and five more scores. He hasn’t been horrible, but his production has not matched the hype.
Hopefully, he’s able to get himself firing on all cylinders next week. The Longhorns will take on the Oklahoma Sooners in an extremely tough matchup. If Manning doesn’t pick up his level of play immediately, Texas could be in big trouble.
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