Texas seeing 'different side of Arch' in offseason...
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- Arch Manning completed just 56.3% of his passes on throws between 0 and 10 yards last season, ranking 66th out of 67 FBS quarterbacks — a stat he deadpanned as 'not very good' and that Sarkisian called a top offseason priority to fix.
- Coach Steve Sarkisian said Manning had to fail and work through early-season adversity before teammates fully respected him as the team's leader, noting Manning initially held back because he felt he 'hadn't earned it yet' — a mindset inherited from his grandfather.
- Arch Manning was sidelined for most of spring with a foot injury but hosted his receivers and transfer running back Hollywood Smothers at his home in New Orleans for workouts, skipping spring ball meant extra bonding reps.
- Transfer receiver Cam Coleman headlines a revamped receiving unit, with Sarkisian saying Manning now has better weapons and a clearer understanding of his preferred throws inside the 10-yard range.
- Arch Manning's late-season turnaround was stark: after throwing for just 170 yards in the opener against Ohio State, he finished his final six games with 14 touchdown passes and only two interceptions.
- Teammate Colin Simmons said the team 'need[s] a different side of Arch' and credited Manning for bringing out that leadership version during the offseason.
- Arch Manning acknowledged the constant spotlight that comes with his last name, saying 'I wish I could be a little bit more under the radar. It's like that'll never happen.'
Why it matters: Manning went from a 170-yard opener and well-documented struggles to a 14-to-2 TD-to-INT stretch over his final six games, and Texas now has the transfer-portal reinforcements (Coleman, Smothers, Raleek Brown) to attack the 66-of-67 short-passing weakness Sarkisian flagged. For a program built around a QB with NFL royal bloodlines, the gap between last year's preseason hype and last year's actual results now hinges on whether better weapons translate to competence in the 0-to-10-yard passing game.
