Sarkisian Leaves Door Open to Benching Arch Manning

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian refused to guarantee Arch Manning will remain the starting quarterback after Saturday’s 27-24 home loss to unranked Florida, a defeat that exposed severe offensive dysfunction and dropped the No. 7 Longhorns to 1-2 in SEC play.

When asked directly if he considered replacing Manning during or after the game, Sarkisian did not dismiss the possibility. “Everything means everything,” he told reporters, confirming the entire offensive operation is under review following a second consecutive one-score loss.

The Longhords (4-2) managed just 272 total yards against a Gators defense ranked 131st among 138 FBS teams in passing yardage allowed. Texas strung together only four drives longer than five plays all afternoon. The third quarter was particularly dire: eight yards on four snaps.

Manning finished 14-of-20 for 173 yards and one touchdown without an interception. A single 62-yard completion to Emmett Mosley V accounted for roughly 35% of his output while trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter. He lost a fumble taking a sack on the final drive and was stopped short on a separate fourth-down attempt late in the game.

This follows last week’s collapse against Oklahoma, where Manning threw two fourth-quarter interceptions that directly resulted in 10 points during an identical 27-24 final score.

“We talk about winning the fourth quarter, and we didn’t do that today,” Manning said. When informed of Sarkisian’s comments regarding potential roster changes, Manning acknowledged the reality of the program. “Everyone’s evaluated every week. That’s how it is at a school like this.”

Through six games, Manning has accumulated 1,295 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions with a 63.9% completion rate. The offense has failed to exceed 24 points against any Power Four defense this season—a stark contrast to preseason expectations when the second-year starter was widely projected as a Heisman Trophy contender.

Sarkisian spread responsibility beyond the quarterback position. “Was Arch perfect? No, but nobody was perfect on offense today,” he said. “If it was one person, it’d be easy. Yeah, change one guy and everything’s going to be great. Well, I don’t think that that was all the issue today.”

A quarterback change would break recent precedent. Texas has not benched its starter for non-injury reasons since Sarkisian’s first season in 2021, when Casey Thompson replaced Hudson Card following a September loss at Arkansas. Sophomore KJ Lacey and freshman Dia Bell sit behind Manning on the depth chart. Lacey has thrown nine career passes; Bell has yet to appear in a game.

Texas is expected to fall out of the top 10 when the Associated Press poll updates Sunday. The Longhorns host Ole Miss next week attempting to halt a two-game skid.