All anyone could talk about heading into the 2025 college football season was Texas quarterback Arch Manning. He was supposed to win the Heisman Trophy and lead the Longhorns to their first national title in two decades. Three games in, none of that seems tangible after a slow start.
Texas is 2-1 after a 27-10 win over UTEP at home in Austin. But a 17-point victory over a Conference USA opponent just isn’t good enough—at least not with a Manning under center. That’s the expectation, anyway.
Week 3 marked Manning’s only fifth career start, yet the hype around him has been more fitting of a two or three-year starter on the verge of leaving for the NFL. Currently, that’s not the case—not even close. And while context matters, it’s still concerning how poorly the Texas signal-caller has looked in his first full season as the starter.
Ohio State was concerning, but not the end of the world
To begin his first full season as a starter, Manning went on the road to face then-No. 3 Ohio State, the reigning national champion. As most opponents know—well, unless you’re Michigan—winning inside The Horseshoe is no easy task, especially for a quarterback with limited experience.
Before facing the Buckeyes, Manning’s only two starts had come against UL-Monroe and Mississippi State, programs that combined for a 7-17 record last year. Opening against the defending champs in their own house wasn’t going to be easy for anyone, let alone a first-year starter.
Still, that’s where Manning’s rough start began. He led the Longhorns to just seven points, finishing with one touchdown pass, an interception, 170 yards through the air, and 38 more on the ground.
San Jose State was a rebound game for Arch Manning
An opponent like Group of Five member San Jose State was more of the matchup Manning could have used to start his season. At least it would have been a warm-up. The Texas quarterback lit up social media after a 38-7 win, making the loss to the Buckeyes look like a fluke.
Even so, there were red flags against the Spartans. Manning threw for 295 yards and four touchdowns while adding 23 yards and another score on the ground. That was the kind of production expected from a former five-star recruit.
But there was one blemish: an interception just before halftime inside the Spartans’ 15-yard line. Texas already had a commanding 28-7 lead, but the drive ended with a red-zone turnover. As it turned out, that wouldn’t be Manning’s last pick.
Arch Manning seemed lost again versus UTEP
While the San Jose State game looked like a step forward, the UTEP game—despite another win—felt more like regression.
Texas entered as a 39.5-point favorite but managed just 27 points against the Miners. Granted, UTEP featured one of the nation’s best pass rushes, having already racked up 10 sacks coming in. Yet against the Longhorns, they couldn’t put Manning on the ground once.
What they did manage was to force the redshirt sophomore into his third interception in as many games. Manning is now tied with Oklahoma’s John Mateer for third in the SEC with three picks. This one came in the end zone, killing another potential scoring drive.
To make matters worse, at one point Manning threw 10 straight incompletions. That frustration boiled over into the stands, where the Longhorns faithful voiced their displeasure by booing the young quarterback for his play.
“I’ve got to play better,” Manning said after the game. “I’m just frustrated. I know I’m better than this. It’s going to be hard to sleep tonight.”
Manning finished completing just 44% of his passes, going 11-of-25 for 114 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He did find success on the ground, rushing for 51 yards and two more scores.
“All my life I’ve been an accurate passer,” Manning added. “I’ve just got to get back to it.”
Arch Manning has to get better in a hurry
Texas is running out of warm-ups for Arch Manning. In Week 4, the Longhorns host their third straight home game against another cupcake opponent in Sam Houston State before a bye week. After that, the schedule tightens quickly with SEC play.
Texas will go on the road for four straight weeks, starting with a trip to The Swamp to face Florida. Then comes the Red River Rivalry against Oklahoma, followed by road games at Kentucky and Mississippi State to close October. From there, the Longhorns will face No. 20 Vanderbilt at home, travel to No. 5 Georgia, return to Austin for Arkansas, and finish with No. 10 Texas A&M at home.
Through three games, Manning has thrown for 579 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions while completing just 55.3% of his passes. He’s also rushed for 112 yards on 23 attempts with three touchdowns. Those aren’t the numbers Manning—or head coach Steve Sarkisian—likely envisioned heading into the season.
Sarkisian, however, believes the adversity his quarterback is facing will ultimately prove beneficial.
“I think some of this is really good,” Sarkisian said Monday, via Brad Crawford at CBS Sports. “Here’s a guy who’s had an awesome life, you know? The way he’s grown up, where he played, the school he went [to] and people he’s been surrounded by. But I think you learn a lot about yourself through adversity and overcoming adversity and getting on the other side.
“All of this is going to serve not only well for him, but well for us as a team. Love the challenge for him and love the challenge for us. He is a strong-minded guy, great work ethic and great poise. Great composure. I love the end of the movie for him when he gets on the other side of this, I’m looking forward to it.”
For the sake of the Longhorns’ season, though, everyone better hope this is just Manning working out the kinks. Because if the boos already started against UTEP, they’ll only grow louder once SEC play begins.
