The hype machine around Arch Manning never stopped last season and nobody knows that better than the Texas quarterback.
Entering his fourth college season, Manning has been giving outsiders a Heismanesque stiff-arm so he can focus on what he can control.
“My goal this offseason was just to stay present, take it one day at a time,” Manning said Thursday at Southeastern Conference Media Days in Tampa, Fla. “I’m not really worried about the outside world. And that’s what I’ll continue to try to do.”
Manning was the Heisman Trophy favorite prior to the 2025 season and passed for 3,163 yards, 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions as a first-time regular starter.
Those were good numbers for a normal quarterback, but he was held to a higher standard as part of the Manning Family Tree that features grandfather Archie and uncles Peyton and Eli.
“Oftentimes I’m like, ‘I wish I could be a little bit more under the radar,'” Manning said. “It’s like, that’ll never happen.”
Last year, the Longhorns lost their opening showdown to Ohio State in Columbus and later sustained an awful road loss to Florida in early October. When Texas squeezed by lowly Kentucky in overtime in mid-October — and Manning threw for fewer than 200 yards for the fourth time in seven games — the early Heisman hype had fully evaporated.
All of a sudden, the narrative flipped to Manning failing to live up to expectations.
Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian didn’t like that at the time and he still gets worked up discussing it.
“You know, Arch Manning a year ago wasn’t on social media or on television saying I’m going to be the first pick of the draft,” Sarkisian said. “He wasn’t on television saying I’m going to win the Heisman Trophy. All he did was work really hard. All he did was try to be the best teammate he can be.
“Then we had some failures as a team. He didn’t play to the way of what he was capable of playing. Then those same people that were saying that about him wanted to criticize and demean him almost for letting them down because he didn’t live up to what they thought he was going to be. Very interesting concept right there.
“I think the way of what he got put through probably would have melted or destroyed 99% of people in his shoes. All he did was stay consistent and true to who he was.”
Manning played better after the Kentucky game, topping 300 yards three times and throwing three or more TD passes on three occasions. He accounted for 15 touchdowns versus two interceptions over the last five regular-season games as Texas finished 9-3 and missed out on the College Football Playoff by one spot. The Longhorns landed 13th in the final CFP rankings.
Manning is better prepared for the scrutiny now. He said the 2025 season was a growing experience.
“I think I’ve become more present. I’ve obviously matured,” Manning said. “I think going through those rough times, I learned a lot about myself. And I’ve become a better man because of it and hopefully a better player.”
Texas once again has a big early-season showdown against Ohio State, this time in Week 2 at home in Austin.
“Yeah, we’re excited,” Manning said. “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.”
