With Arch Manning, Texas and Steve Sarkisian officially have a problem
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With Arch Manning, Texas and Steve Sarkisian officially have a problem
Blake Toppmeyer, USA TODAY NETWORK·USA TODAY Sports
·
5 min read
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I can scarcely believe my fingers are about to type these next words, butTexashas a quarterback problem. That's not exaggeration.
Texas ranks 15th out of 16 SEC teams in completion rate. That's despite playing two games against cupcake opponents.
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That's a quarterback problem.
Its preseason No. 1 rankingis long gone. All those betting slips withArch Manningas the Heisman Trophy winner will become firepit kindling once the weather turns.
Who's the backup quarterback at Texas? Yes, that's a serious question.
If it was wrong to thinkManning would become the next Tim Tebowjust because he owns a famous surname and a lofty recruiting ranking, then it's also wrong to think Manning cannot be benched, just because of those seven letters stitched across the back of his jersey or the five stars he attracted from recruiting evaluators.
Arch Manning of Isidore Newman School appears in a victory over Holy Savior Menard Central High School in the semifinals of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association basketball championship tournament on March 9, 2021.
(Scott Clause, USA TODAY Network via Imagn Content Services, LLC)
Arch Manning attends a college football game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium on Sept. 18, 2021, in Athens, Georgia.
(Todd Kirkland, Getty Images)
Arch Manning of Isidore Newman School attends the college football game between the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Oct. 16, 2021, in Austin.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)
Arch Manning looks on during his recruiting visit to Clemson University before the college football game between the Clemson Tigers and the Florida State Seminoles at Clemson Memorial Stadium on Oct. 30, 2021, in Clemson, South Carolina.
(Jacob Kupferman, Getty Images)
Arch Manning of Isidore Newman High School looks on during the game against Hahnville High School on Sept. 2, 2022, in Boutte, Louisiana.
(Chris Graythen, Getty Images)
Arch Manning of Isidore Newman High School competes in the football game against Hahnville High School on Sept. 2, 2022, in Boutte, Louisiana.
(Chris Graythen, Getty Images)
Arch Manning watches pregame warmups on the sideline before the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Iowa State Cyclones at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Oct. 15, 2022, in Austin.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)
Arch Manning of the Texas Longhorns warms up before the Texas football Orange-White spring football game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on April 15, 2023, in Austin.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)
Arch Manning of the Texas Longhorns warms up prior to the college football game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sept. 9, 2023, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
(Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images)
Arch Manning of the Texas Longhorns warms up prior to the college football game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sept. 9, 2023, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
(Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images)
Cole Hutson and Arch Manning of the Texas Longhorns pose after defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide 34-24 at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sept. 9, 2023, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
(Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images)
Maalik Murphy of the Texas Longhorns greets Arch Manning before the game against the BYU Cougars at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Oct. 28, 2023, in Austin.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)
Arch Manning of the Texas Longhorns dives into the end zone for a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Colorado State Rams at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Aug. 31, 2024, in Austin.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)
Connor Robertson of the Texas Longhorns congratulates Arch Manning with a lift after Manning scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Colorado State Rams at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Aug. 31, 2024, in Austin.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)
Arch Manning of the Texas Longhorns greets fans on the way to the stadium before the game against the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Sept. 21, 2024, in Austin.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)
Arch Manning of the Texas Longhorns scrambles in the second half while defended by Deonte Anderson of the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Sept. 28, 2024, in Austin.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)
Jake Majors of the Texas Longhorns celebrates with Arch Manning after a touchdown in the second half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Sept. 28, 2024, in Austin.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning arrives prior to the college football game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Nov. 23, 2024, in Austin.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning warms up before a college football game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Nov. 16, 2024, in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
(Wesley Hitt, Getty Images)
Arch Manning and Cole Lourd of the Texas Longhorns celebrate after defeating the Arizona State Sun Devils, 39-31, in double overtime, in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Jan. 1, 2025, in Atlanta.
(Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images)
Arch Manning and Cooper Manning work a promotional shift at a Raising Cane's in Thibodaux, Louisiana, on June 26, 2025.
(Kaitlyn Morris, Getty Images for Raising Cane's)
Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese tackles Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning during the first half of the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025.
(Adam Cairns, Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images)
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning reacts after getting hit by San Jose State Spartans linebacker Taniela Latu during the second half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Sept. 6, 2025.
(Scott Wachter, Scott Wachter-Imagn Images)
Arch Manning of the Texas Longhorns reacts after rushing for a touchdown in the second half against the San Jose State Spartans at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Sept. 6, 2025, in Austin.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning stands on the field during warmups before a game against UTEP at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin on Sept. 13, 2025.
(Gaby Velasquez, El Paso Times / USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images)
1/25
Arch Manning: Texas Longhorns quarterback from legendary football family
Arch Manning of Isidore Newman School appears in a victory over Holy Savior Menard Central High School in the semifinals of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association basketball championship tournament on March 9, 2021.
(Scott Clause, USA TODAY Network via Imagn Content Services, LLC)
1/25
Arch Manning: Texas Longhorns quarterback from legendary football family
Arch Manning of Isidore Newman School appears in a victory over Holy Savior Menard Central High School in the semifinals of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association basketball championship tournament on March 9, 2021.
(Scott Clause, USA TODAY Network via Imagn Content Services, LLC)
2/25
Arch Manning: Texas Longhorns quarterback from legendary football family
Arch Manning attends a college football game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium on Sept. 18, 2021, in Athens, Georgia.
(Todd Kirkland, Getty Images)
3/25
Arch Manning: Texas Longhorns quarterback from legendary football family
Arch Manning of Isidore Newman School attends the college football game between the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Oct. 16, 2021, in Austin.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)
4/25
Arch Manning: Texas Longhorns quarterback from legendary football family
Arch Manning looks on during his recruiting visit to Clemson University before the college football game between the Clemson Tigers and the Florida State Seminoles at Clemson Memorial Stadium on Oct. 30, 2021, in Clemson, South Carolina.
(Jacob Kupferman, Getty Images)
5/25
Arch Manning: Texas Longhorns quarterback from legendary football family
Arch Manning of Isidore Newman High School looks on during the game against Hahnville High School on Sept. 2, 2022, in Boutte, Louisiana.
(Chris Graythen, Getty Images)
6/25
Arch Manning: Texas Longhorns quarterback from legendary football family
Arch Manning of Isidore Newman High School competes in the football game against Hahnville High School on Sept. 2, 2022, in Boutte, Louisiana.
(Chris Graythen, Getty Images)
7/25
Arch Manning: Texas Longhorns quarterback from legendary football family
Arch Manning watches pregame warmups on the sideline before the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Iowa State Cyclones at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Oct. 15, 2022, in Austin.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)
8/25
Arch Manning: Texas Longhorns quarterback from legendary football family
Arch Manning of the Texas Longhorns warms up before the Texas football Orange-White spring football game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on April 15, 2023, in Austin.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)
9/25
Arch Manning: Texas Longhorns quarterback from legendary football family
Arch Manning of the Texas Longhorns warms up prior to the college football game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sept. 9, 2023, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
(Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images)
10/25
Arch Manning: Texas Longhorns quarterback from legendary football family
Arch Manning of the Texas Longhorns warms up prior to the college football game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sept. 9, 2023, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
(Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images)
11/25
Arch Manning: Texas Longhorns quarterback from legendary football family
Cole Hutson and Arch Manning of the Texas Longhorns pose after defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide 34-24 at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sept. 9, 2023, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
(Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images)
12/25
Arch Manning: Texas Longhorns quarterback from legendary football family
Maalik Murphy of the Texas Longhorns greets Arch Manning before the game against the BYU Cougars at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Oct. 28, 2023, in Austin.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)
13/25
Arch Manning: Texas Longhorns quarterback from legendary football family
Arch Manning of the Texas Longhorns dives into the end zone for a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Colorado State Rams at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Aug. 31, 2024, in Austin.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)
14/25
Arch Manning: Texas Longhorns quarterback from legendary football family
Connor Robertson of the Texas Longhorns congratulates Arch Manning with a lift after Manning scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Colorado State Rams at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Aug. 31, 2024, in Austin.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)
15/25
Arch Manning: Texas Longhorns quarterback from legendary football family
Arch Manning of the Texas Longhorns greets fans on the way to the stadium before the game against the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Sept. 21, 2024, in Austin.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)
16/25
Arch Manning: Texas Longhorns quarterback from legendary football family
Arch Manning of the Texas Longhorns scrambles in the second half while defended by Deonte Anderson of the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Sept. 28, 2024, in Austin.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)
17/25
Arch Manning: Texas Longhorns quarterback from legendary football family
Jake Majors of the Texas Longhorns celebrates with Arch Manning after a touchdown in the second half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Sept. 28, 2024, in Austin.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)
18/25
Arch Manning: Texas Longhorns quarterback from legendary football family
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning arrives prior to the college football game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Nov. 23, 2024, in Austin.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)
19/25
Arch Manning: Texas Longhorns quarterback from legendary football family
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning warms up before a college football game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Nov. 16, 2024, in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
(Wesley Hitt, Getty Images)
20/25
Arch Manning: Texas Longhorns quarterback from legendary football family
Arch Manning and Cole Lourd of the Texas Longhorns celebrate after defeating the Arizona State Sun Devils, 39-31, in double overtime, in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Jan. 1, 2025, in Atlanta.
(Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images)
21/25
Arch Manning: Texas Longhorns quarterback from legendary football family
Arch Manning and Cooper Manning work a promotional shift at a Raising Cane's in Thibodaux, Louisiana, on June 26, 2025.
(Kaitlyn Morris, Getty Images for Raising Cane's)
22/25
Arch Manning: Texas Longhorns quarterback from legendary football family
Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese tackles Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning during the first half of the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025.
(Adam Cairns, Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images)
23/25
Arch Manning: Texas Longhorns quarterback from legendary football family
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning reacts after getting hit by San Jose State Spartans linebacker Taniela Latu during the second half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Sept. 6, 2025.
(Scott Wachter, Scott Wachter-Imagn Images)
24/25
Arch Manning: Texas Longhorns quarterback from legendary football family
Arch Manning of the Texas Longhorns reacts after rushing for a touchdown in the second half against the San Jose State Spartans at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Sept. 6, 2025, in Austin.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)
25/25
Arch Manning: Texas Longhorns quarterback from legendary football family
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning stands on the field during warmups before a game against UTEP at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin on Sept. 13, 2025.
(Gaby Velasquez, El Paso Times / USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images)
"Could be worse," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said afterward. "We could lose."
I can't believe it's come to this, but we've officially reached the "could be worse" stage for Texas and Manning.
If Texas had been playing an opponent other than an alphabet soup acronym school, it would have been worse.
Sarkisian compared Manning's out-of-whack throwing mechanics to a bad golfer who's just trying to square one up.
"Some of us here that are bad golfers, think about your golf swing," Sarkisian said. "You try to swing hard and then you try to slow it down at the very end to make good contact. That's never a recipe for success, and that's not a good recipe for throwing a football, either. And I felt like that happened, at times," against UTEP.
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Just like that, I'm envisioning Manning as a double-bogey hacker at my local muni, sprinkling in a few good drives between a lot of slices, worm-burners, and shanks that whistle into the trees.
Who is Texas' backup quarterback behindArch Manning?
To answer the question I posed,Matthew Caldwellis Texas' backup quarterback. A transfer, he's played for three other schools, most recently for Troy. He played well for Troy, too.
Get a load of this, Caldwell earned "Manning Star of the Week" honors for his performance against Georgia Southern last season.
Seriously.
The Sugar Bowl, to honor the Mannings' legacy, recognizes several quarterbacks each week for their performance. Caldwell nabbed the honors after dicing up aSunBelt opponent for 288 passing yards and four total touchdowns.
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Caldwell was a zero-star recruit coming out of Auburn High School in Alabama. He began his college career as a walk-on at Jacksonville State. In that way, he's everything Manning isn't.
I reviewed some film of Caldwell at Troy and saw a mobile quarterback with a quick release. You wouldn't confuse his arm for John Elway's, but he's accurate.
Don't just take it from me.
"He's got athleticism, and he throws an accurate ball. … He's really coachable,"Sarkisian told reportersbefore the season. "… He's got really good rapport with his teammates."
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OK, so what's the holdup? Look, I know it's easy to build up the backup quarterback being the solution, without evidence to support it. Often, there's a reason that guy was the backup and not the starter.
But, whenQuinn Ewersstruggled against Georgia last season, Sarkisian tried his backup. It just so happened the backup's name was Manning. Now, the backup's name is Caldwell, but the spelling of the surname shouldn't matter.
Behind Caldwell are a pair of heralded but young and untested quarterbacks.
"The last thing I want to do is put a young player on the field if he's not ready to play,"Sarkisian saidbefore the season.
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So, that's that. It's either a five-star from college football's most famous family, or a former zero-star walk-on. Should be an easy choice, but Manning's performance sparks the need for further evaluation.
Texas never conducted a preseason quarterback competition. Sarkisian named Manning the starter in February. With every Manning incompletion, it's looking more and more like Sarkisian made up his mind too soon.
Maybe, Texas needs a belated quarterback competition
Manning, 21, is in his third season at Texas. He's started five games. He's a struggling quarterback, but not an especially young one.
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Preaching patienceseemed sensible after Manning struggled in the season opener against Ohio State. By Week 2, Manning was grimacing, and Sarkisian was crackingtoilet jokes. Now, after this stinker against UTEP, it's either time to see rapid improvement, or Sarkisian must evaluate his options.
I realize no coach loves an in-season quarterback controversy, and Caldwell playing well would increase scrutiny of Manning. But, what's worse than a quarterback controversy? A roster as expensive as this one turtling up.
Texas has winless Sam Houston State up next. I can't think of a better opponent against which to test a backup quarterback. Have Manning and Caldwell alternate quarters. Let's see who best suits Texas' needs, before theLonghornsresume games against big-league competition next month.
With Texas' defense playing as well as it is, theLonghornsdon't necessarily need the next Tebow orPeyton2.0 at quarterback. They do need a quarterback better than what Arch has been.
