Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning has faced plenty of scrutiny this season, with his struggles cooling much of the talk about him heading to the NFL after the season. But one ESPN analyst thinks that the bigger problem might be the offense he's playing in.
On Wednesday, former quarterback Jordan Rodgers argued that Steve Sarkisian's offense isn't allowing Manning to develop as a quarterback, and he suggested that a transfer to a different program after the season might make more sense than the NFL Draft.
Manning entered the season as a Heisman Trophy favorite and the early favorite to go No. 1 overall in the 2027 NFL Draft, and Texas started the year at No. 1. But the Longhorns then lost back-to-back games to Oklahoma and Florida by identical 27-24 scores, with Manning committing costly late turnovers in both.
After the Florida loss, Sarkisian refused to commit to his quarterback.
"Everything is going to be evaluated," Sarkisian said.
Sarkisian reportedly warned Manning that he would make a change if things didn't improve, and Manning responded on Saturday. He threw for 212 yards and a touchdown and ran for two more scores, including the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, as No. 19 Texas upset No. 7 Ole Miss 34-27 to improve to 5-2.
Still, Manning turned the ball over three times, and the win came with some more bad news , as star left tackle Trevor Goosby is reportedly out for the season with a knee injury.
Manning's struggles have also changed the conversation around his future. Some NFL executives reportedly doubt that he'll even enter the 2027 draft, and former College GameDay analyst David Pollack recently predicted that Manning won't be at Texas next season.
Rodgers doesn't think Manning is getting the chance to show what he can really do.
"Well Arch has got to be allowed to play quarterback, and he's really not right now," Rodgers said on Get Up , via On3 . "Hembo had a great stat for me. 48% of his throws are either at or behind the line of scrimmage or 20+ yards downfield. That's by far one of the highest in the entire country. So it's either a quick, easy layup or a bomb downfield that's low percentage that puts him in trouble. We've seen some interceptions there."
Rodgers added that Manning isn't being asked to handle many of the responsibilities NFL teams look for.
"He's not allowed to really — maybe he's not allowed or he can't, either way — he doesn't change things pre-snap. This offense doesn't allow him to slide protections, read Mike. You don't see him doing some of that," Rodgers said. "He also doesn't get full-field progressions where they're attacking the short to intermediate area of the field."
Rodgers then compared Manning to Ty Simpson, the former Alabama quarterback.
"If you're talking the NFL, the reason Ty Simpson got drafted at 13th overall was not because he was a can't-miss, physical talent from an arm perspective or athleticism," Rodgers said. "Because he was a field general. He handled everything pre-snap. He was a technician when it came to progression reads. Arch just doesn't do that at Texas, so yeah, he's got to show he can do that. I don't know if we're there yet, but I feel like a new home for Arch next year, not the NFL, makes sense."
When Mike Greenberg asked where Manning could go, Rodgers named a few options.
"There's a couple places that really attack the short to intermediate really well," Rodgers said. "Some of it's with RPOs, a place like Ole Miss or LSU. That Lane Kiffin offense definitely allows you those layup, play-action RPO throws that can develop and also still the ability, because this is important, he's one of the best deep-ball throwers in the country, still the ability to attack the field vertically."
"Or you think about a place like Miami, who year after year has pumped out guys to the NFL. Shannon Dawson has a system that allows a quarterback to do a variety of things, intermediate, short, deep, anything," he added.
Obviously, Manning and Texas still have plenty of season left to play. But if the offense doesn't change, Rodgers clearly thinks Manning would be better off somewhere else.
The post 'A new home for Arch next year': Former SEC quarterback says Texas is limiting Arch Manning appeared first on The Comeback: Today's Top Sports Stories & Reactions .
