Steve Sarkisian refuses to give Arch Manning a crucial vote of confidence after second straight Texas loss

It’s safe to say that Arch Manning ’s college football career with the Texas Longhorns has been a rollercoaster to this point. After redshirting as a freshman, Manning had to sit behind Quinn Ewers in 2024, with fans begging for head coach Steve Sarkisian to make Manning the starting quarterback.

That didn’t come to fruition until the following season, but Manning had a very inconsistent 2025 season . His numbers weren’t bad, but both he and the team failed to live up to lofty expectations . So far in 2026, it’s been deja vu for Manning and the Longhorns .

On Saturday, Texas lost its second-consecutive game after starting the season 4-0 and becoming the No. 1 team in the nation. Identical 27-24 losses to unranked Oklahoma and Florida will have Texas on the outside looking in in terms of the College Football Playoff for now.

Steve Sarkisian says everything on the offensive side of the ball, including Arch Manning, will be evaluated after back-to-back losses

The two losses could spark change within the team, and Manning isn’t being assured his starting job for the rest of the season . Sarkisian was asked after the Florida loss if he considered making a quarterback switch during the game.

“ We didn’t play good offensive football. We’re not playing great offensive football right now, so everything is gonna be evaluated. ”

That will seemingly include evaluating Manning’s job security. Manning posted a measly 20.0 QBR (ESPN QB Rating) on Saturday, one week after throwing two interceptions in the loss against Oklahoma - one of which came at a crucial point late in the game that allowed the Sooners to get a last-second field goal.

Manning is simply not getting the job done in an efficient or effective capacity. Behind him on the depth chart is redshirt freshman Karle Lacey Jr. , who has only attempted nine passes through his first two seasons with Texas.