‘Maybe He’s Not as Good as His Name’

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Arch Manning #16 of the Texas Longhorns warms up before the game against the San Jose State Spartans at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 06, 2025 in Austin, Texas.

The Arch Manning era hasn’t started the way most expected in Austin. Through three games, the Texas Longhorns quarterback has looked average at best, and at worst, like someone head coach Steve Sarkisian could eventually move away from.

Texas, ranked No. 8, sits at 2-1 after a loss to Ohio State and wins over San Jose State and UTEP. The concern is less about the record and more about how Manning has looked running the offense. If the former five-star doesn’t clean up his performances, the Longhorns could have a serious problem on their hands.

The reason the alarms are so loud is simple: this isn’t just any quarterback. It’s Arch Manning — and that last name carries weight to it. USA Today’s Matt Hayes suggested those expectations might be the very thing clouding everyone’s judgment.

“But maybe we’re going about this the wrong way,” Hayes wrote. “Maybe Manning is just not as good as his name.”

Arch Manning Hasn’t Performed Like a College Starting QB, Much Less a Manning

Manning has made only five career starts and appeared in 15 games total, but the spotlight is harsher than ever. His three starts this season have produced uneven results that have become a national talking point.

Statistically, Manning ranks just 83rd nationally in passer rating. He’s completed 40 of 85 passes (55.3%) for 579 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions. He’s also added 112 rushing yards and three scores. While not disastrous, those numbers fall far short of what many envisioned from one of the most hyped quarterbacks in years.

Even former Florida and South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier questioned Manning’s résumé.

“My question is, if he’s that good, how come they let Quinn Ewers play all the time last year?” Spurrier said on the Another Dooley Noted Podcast. “He was a seventh-round pick.”

Manning’s only two starts last season came when Ewers was injured — wins over UL-Monroe and Mississippi State, teams that combined for a 7-17 record. In 2023, his freshman year, Sarkisian turned to fellow freshman Maalik Murphy when Ewers went down.

Steve Sarkisian Still Believes In Arch Manning

If Manning didn’t have his famous last name, the conversation might be simpler: Texas might have the wrong quarterback. But because he does, his struggles invite far more scrutiny.

“I gotta play better. It’s not good enough,” Manning said after the win over UTEP. “As y’all can see, I gotta play better for us to — maybe it slides against UTEP, but it’s not gonna win us games against the SEC. I gotta play better.”

To his credit, Manning isn’t shying away from accountability. Sarkisian also expressed confidence that adversity could eventually make him better.

“I think you learn a lot about yourself through adversity and overcoming adversity and getting on the other side of that adversity,” Sarkisian said via Inside Texas. “To have some of this adversity that he has right now, and when he gets on the other side of it, I think all of this is going to serve not only well for him but well for us as a team.”

For now, though, questions about whether Arch Manning can truly live up to his name will continue to hang over Texas.

Shane Shoemaker Shane Shoemaker is a sports journalist covering college football and the NFL for Heavy.com. His work has also appeared in The Sporting News, Athlon Sports, USA TODAY, and ClutchPoints, along with high school sports coverage for the Marion Tribune. More about Shane Shoemaker