Texas football missed the College Football Playoff in 2025 after a berth in 2024. Texas seems primed to make a run back to the playoffs in 2026, especially considering how head coach Steve Sarkisian feels about his team this year.
As spring practices have come to an end, Sarkisian spoke about his team, including quarterback Arch Manning, and what makes him special, per Chris Low of On3.
“Ninety-nine percent of kids would have melted last year if they had to endure what he endured, and all Arch did was get stronger,” Sarkisian said.
Manning struggled in the early part of the season and was criticized for his play. He would rebound, though, and play his best football as the season came to a close. Sark went on to praise his quarterback profusely.
“The players in that locker room love him. I mean, he’s a guy’s guy,” Sarkisian said. “That was always the thing that I was on him about, and I love this about Arch, but I would say, ‘You need to go lead. You’re the leader.’ He would say, ‘I just don’t feel like I’ve earned it yet.’ That’s important to him, that he earns everything he gets. But the players were the ones building him up to go lead. They wanted to follow him, and the moment he did, you could see a difference in our team.”
Manning was dominant in his final games, with three wins over top ten teams and a win over Michigan in the Citrus Bowl. Meanwhile, he accounted for 20 touchdowns between passing and running, while turning over the ball just once. Sarkisian is excited to have him back as well, as Manning could have likely been an early first-round pick had he decided to head to the NFL. Meanwhile, Sark seems to be loving every moment of coaching at Texas.
“This place is awesome. And why me? I don’t know. I just got lucky. I’m not taking anything for granted, that’s for sure,” Sarkisian said.
Texas is projected as one of the top teams in the nation heading into 2026. They open their schedule on September 5 against Texas State.
