How Texas QB Arch Manning went from potential also-ran to a Heisman favorite | Golden

Sign up for Cedric Golden’s newsletter for hot takes and expert analysis each Tuesday on Texas Longhorns football and beyond.  It's called Ced’s Corner, from the mind of the American-Statesman’s resident sports columnist. For some reason, some Texas followers thought the name on the back of his jersey would preclude him from experiencing growing pains in his first season starting. Those same followers must have forgotten the part about there being no sure thing in sports, and even though Manning has a tremendous upside, stepping in for a start or two for an injured Quinn Ewers isn’t the same as taking the field at the beginning of the season with a program’s hopes on your shoulders. So when the Horns posted a clunker in the 29-21 SEC loss at Florida in their SEC opener, that all but killed the College Football Playoff wiggle room the Horns had left after losing at Ohio State in the opener. Then the Manning-led offense produced only two offensive touchdowns over the next eight quarters. The QB was understandably frustrated. **WOMEN'S HOOPS**: Texas C Kyla Oldacre signs with Dallas It actually showed in some of his game-week interviews when Manning went from a playful, engaging subject to a guy who sounded like he wanted to be anywhere but in a room full of reporters asking about the offense’s latest struggles. “Kind of the first half of the season, I was pissed,” Manning said Tuesday. “I wasn't playing well, and it wasn't fun for me. And then I kind of sort of said, 'Screw it,' and had a little more fun and started winning some games."

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) celebrates a win over Texas A&M Aggies 27-17 during the NCAA college football game in the Lone Star Showdown in Austin, Texas, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. (Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman) Whatever ailed Manning in the first six games was nowhere to be found in the next seven; he led the Horns to a 6-1 record down the stretch with the only blip coming in a 35-10 loss at Georgia. All told, he made history in his first year behind center as the third Texas quarterback to throw 25 touchdowns, run for 10 more while throwing for more than 3,000 yards with 500 rushing yards. The other two — Vince Young and Colt McCoy — finished their college careers playing in national championship games. Young powered a 41-38 win over USC in 2005 while McCoy went down with a shoulder injury early in loss to Alabama four seasons later. Manning’s 10-3 record in his first full season is a harbinger of bigger things to come though things will have to fall right for the Horns to be back in the CFP, especially with a tougher schedule this fall that will include Ohio State at home and road games against Ole Miss, LSU and Tennessee. Manning is one of the few marquee players in the country who carries the pressure on both sides of his jersey — the name on the front and the one on the back. The Texas brand is what it is, but being the progeny of the first family of NFL quarterbacks carries its own pressure. To see him navigate both with the ease not always seen in the average 21-year-old … it’s commendable. His emergence after a less than ideal first half of the season is a nod to his mental makeup and drive. “It's just a credit to who the kid is,” said quarterbacks coach AJ Milwee. "There’s a lot of people in in the world that would have completely folded in the situation that he was in. We've seen plenty of guys do it, right? There's been a lot of great players that things didn't go their way, and they disappear, and you never hear from them again.” Manning wasn’t going out like that. In a span of seven games, he went from a potential bust in some circles to the best returning quarterback in America after he closed out big wins over Texas A&M and Michigan with long-distance house calls with his leg. It was a message to the college football world that the Horns are going to be a real problem with a motivated No. 16 under center in what is most certainly his final season of college ball. “He just kept pushing, kept going, and he rebounded,” Milwee said. “And he became the player that we know he can be.”

Texas Longhorns pitcher Dylan Volantis (99) throws a pitch during the NCAA D1 Baseball Tournament Regional against UTSA at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Saturday, May 31, 2025 in Austin, Texas. (Aaron E. Martinez / American Statesman)