Is There 'Less Pressure' On Texas Star Arch Manning This Season?

Does Texas backmost Arch Manning person what it takes to beryllium assemblage football’s apical signal-caller this season, particularly aft his show past year? 

Manning committed to Texas arsenic the No. 1 backmost successful the 2023 recruiting people and sat down erstwhile starting backmost Quinn Ewers for a twelvemonth successful 2024, with a fewer starts aboriginal successful the season. When Manning was handed the keys arsenic their starter past season, the expectations didn’t look to beryllium met close away. 

FOX Sports’ Matt Leinart joined First Things First to speech astir Manning's aboriginal with the Longhorns and wherefore he's susceptible of being 1 of the sport's apical quarterbacks. 

"He started disconnected beauteous dilatory past year, but arsenic the play went on, helium was truly good," Leinart said. "He’s built the close way. I really benignant of consciousness similar there’s little unit connected him this twelvemonth … He has each of what you privation successful a quarterback, and it’s not conscionable the past sanction and the pedigree."

Manning threw an interception successful each of his archetypal 3 starts past play and had nether a 60% completion complaint successful 3 of his archetypal 4 starts. However, things seemed to click for him aft the Longhorns' convincing 26-3 triumph implicit then-No. 6 Oklahoma successful Week 6.

The Longhorns finished 7-1 successful their last 8 games of the play with Manning throwing 14 touchdown passes, 2 interceptions and rushing for 5 touchdowns down the stretch. Now the expectations are backmost for Manning arsenic helium heads into his 2nd afloat play arsenic the starter, particularly aft being tabbed arsenic a Heisman frontrunner early. 

In a assemblage shot play that features returning quarterbacks similar Oregon’s Dante Moore, Notre Dame’s CJ Carr and Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss, the playing tract to beryllium the champion is thing but competitive. 

The Longhorns besides look a beardown SEC slate, which includes roadworthy contests astatine LSU, Texas A&M and Tennessee, with Ole Miss and Ohio State astatine home. After missing the College Football Playoff past season, Manning and the Longhorns are looking to marque a instrumentality with a talented roster featuring borderline rusher Colin Simmons, transportation wide receiver Cam Coleman, and transportation moving backmost Hollywood Smothers.

Texas opens the 2026 play against Texas State astatine location connected Sept. 5.