It's been a roller coaster of a season for Arch Manning and the No. 13 Texas Longhorns, as the team is still fighting for a spot in the College Football Playoff. The critics have been loud for Manning, as he's been trying to navigate being the starting quarterback of the Longhorns. His grandfather, Archie Manning, recently opened up about the 2025-26 campaign.
During a guest appearance on “Up and Adams,” with Kay Adams, the former NFL quarterback confessed how difficult it's been for him and the family to watch Manning struggle in Texas. However, Archie also admits that he believes his grandson has experienced offensive line woes periodically throughout the season, which doesn't help.
“I hadn't been to but one game. So I'm home, and it's hard,” said Archie Manning. “It's really hard. We pull for him so hard, and they've had some protection problems this year and struggled in a few games. We're proud of him and he's handled everything really well.”
Arch Manning's grandfather also claims that he's just a nervous nelly in general, too. He said that Eli Manning's early career with the New York Giants had him pacing while attending the games. So, these feelings might not be so new for Archie, as he's seemingly felt similar watching Eli in New York, at the very least.
Despite the struggles this year, Texas is still 7-2 on the season and is seemingly in contention for a spot in the College Football Playoff. Arch Manning could be getting into his groove at the perfect time, too, as he finished the 34-31 Week 10 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores with 328 passing yards and three touchdowns while completing 75.7% of his pass attempts.
Manning and the Longhorns have a bye in Week 11. However, they'll come back in Week 12 with an incredibly difficult matchup against the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs. A win potentially catapults Texas back into the mix, while a loss very well could end any playoff hopes for the program.
