Arch Manning’s next step can make him even more than the face of college football

After months of anticipation, Arch Manning’s first full season as the starting quarterback at Texas got underway on an August afternoon in Columbus against Ohio State. It was a matchup of two teams ranked at the top of the preseason Top 25, and a clash of title hopefuls.

It did not go Manning and Texas’ way.

The young quarterback struggled against a defense featuring several players who would be first-round picks in the NFL Draft the following spring, throwing an interception and guiding an offense that converted just five of 14 third-down opportunities. It was something of a theme for the Longhorns offense early in the season, as that group struggled to get on track.

But by the end of the season, Manning and the Texas offense had found their collective footing. The regular season ended with an upset of in-state rivals. Texas A&M, knocking the Aggies out of the SEC title game and keeping the Longhorns on the fringe of the College Football Playoff discussion. While the Longhorns did not receive a bid, the final five games from Manning last year showed promise. He threw for 11 touchdowns over that stretch, including three in a win over then-No. 9 Vanderbilt, against just one interception, which came in a loss to Georgia that ultimately doomed any chance of a playoff berth.

Now Manning and the Longhorns are back for another run, hoping to build off the closing stretch from a year ago. Texas debuted at No. 5 in the preseason Top 25, and the Longhorns get a chance for a little revenge when they host the Buckeyes in Austin on September 12, after opening the season against Texas State.

“Yeah, we’re excited,” said Manning about that game during the SEC Media Days. “Obviously Week 2 is a big game. But we’ve got a bunch of big games and so we’re just gonna take it one day at a time.”

As for Manning himself, 2026 is about building on the lessons learned a season ago, starting with that loss in Columbus.

“Yeah, I learned a lot. Obviously gaining those game experiences was really good for me, said Manning about last year’s loss to Ohio State. “Obviously, that was a rough game. I’ve learned from it, and moving on, and motivating it for me for this year.”

The biggest area where Manning needs to improve?

His eyes, and “playing on time” according to the quarterback.

“I think going through your reads and getting the ball to the right people,” said Manning last month about playing on time. “And I think I didn’t do that sometimes last year, but trying to get better at that this year.”

Just what does that look like, and how can Manning improve in this area in 2026?

Take this play against Florida, which results in an interception:

Manning aligns in the shotgun, and after carrying out a cursory run fake he reads what ends up being a three-level concept to the right, consisting of a deep corner route, a crossing route working from left-to-right, and the back in the flat as a checkdown.

However, saying that Manning read out the concept is perhaps a bit generous, as his eyes lock onto the corner route from DeAndre Moore Jr. and never waiver. Against this two-deep coverage it is not the worst read, but with the cornerback to that side of the field doing a good job sinking underneath the route, and the safety squeezing the route as well, Manning needs to make the perfect throw.

He does not.

However, if he brought his eyes off the corner route for a moment, he might see the crossing route breaking free underneath. On this 1st-and-20 situation, taking the crosser is likely a better option to keep the offense “on time,” rather than trying to squeeze in the deep corner route in between a pair of defenders.

Here is another example, again from the game against Florida, which the Longhorns lost 29-21:

Facing 2nd-and-19, head coach Steve Sarkisian dials up a concept with a pair of deep curl routes. Once again, Manning locks onto the route on the right, forcing a throw into tight coverage that is intercepted.

But if he gets his eyes to the left, he has a much easier throw, and a chance to make a positive play.

Here is yet one more example, the interception against Georgia mentioned above. This comes on a third-down play, with the Longhorns needing four yards to extend the drive.

Once again, Manning locks onto his initial read, forces a throw into coverage, and misses an opportunity on the backside dig to move the chains:

To be fair to Manning, this is common for a younger, inexperienced quarterback. Locking onto an initial read and forcing a throw, rather than trusting your eyes and progressions, is something that quarterbacks can overcome over time and with experience.

As Manning himself showed down the stretch.

Against Arkansas late in the season, Manning connected on four touchdown passes, matching the season-high he posted against San Jose State earlier in the year. On the first of those, Manning showed that ability to get through his reads, and get the ball to the right option.

Texas tries to set up a vertical route along the right sideline, using a fake screen as bait for the defense. But the cornerback jams the vertical route and pins the receiver into the boundary, forcing Manning to get to a Plan B.

Which he does, a post route coming from the other side of the formation:

Or take this touchdown against Georgia, coming later in that game in the wake of the interception previously discussed:

Facing a 1st-and-goal from the 7-yard line, Manning carries out a run fake and looks to the tight end isolated along the boundary. But with that option blanketed, he gets his eyes to a crossing route working away from him, and snaps off a perfect throw for the touchdown.

And finally, Manning getting to the backside dig:

These examples highlight how the version of Manning that ended the season started to take that step forward, at least compared with the Manning that began the year.

But the bigger question for Manning, and Texas, is whether they both go beyond last year’s performance. Is this the year that Manning finally leads the Longhorns back to the promised land? That question comes at a critical time for Manning himself, as the quarterback is one of several passers in the mix for the spot of QB1 by the time the 2027 NFL Draft rolls around.

If he indeed takes this step forward, if he indeed leads Texas back, he’ll have quite the claim to that mantle.