Arch Manning’s struggles early in the 2025 college football season are not a secret; however, it wasn’t entirely on him.
The Texas offense didn’t run the ball enough last year, and Joel Klatt believes the coming season will be better for Manning, as Steve Sarkisian made an effort to fix the areas that needed fixing.
During his analysis on “The Joel Klatt Show” on Monday, the college analyst shared his top 10 quarterbacks for the 2026 season, with Manning taking the second spot.
Talking about one factor that could help Manning’s performance in the coming season, Klatt pointed to a junior wide receiver who transferred from Auburn.
“Granted, the early part of the season was a struggle for him. There’s no doubt, and it was a struggle for the entire Texas offense,” Klatt said. “They did not run the football well enough, I thought that the pressure was on Arch, and let’s face it. As good as their wide receiver core has been in recent vintage. It wasn’t that last year. It should be a lot better this year. In particular, with Cam Coleman, I think Cam Coleman might have a monster year for Texas. He is a phenomenal player, and now he’s with Sark. Sark’s going to dial it up. Cam Coleman could have a big year, and that will help Arch Manning. There’s no doubt.”
Analyst Labels Arch Manning a “Phenomenal Success Story”
Arch Manning was among the most hyped up players before the 2025 season started; however, with great hype comes great responsibility.
Manning faced a lot of scrutiny because of his play in the first few games of the 2025 season, and while it can leave an unpleasant impact on a player, analyst Seth Wickersham told On3 that the Texas star has turned the story in his favor.
“He’s already, with all of that scrutiny and a lot of other things that come with that last name, I mean, you know, doors open for him that they don’t open for other guys, and you know. You can debate whether in the long term or short term that’ll make you a better player,” Wickersham told On3 on June 12. “But you know, look, by virtue of the fact that Arch Manning is already better than, you know, 98% of the people who have ever thrown a football, is a phenomenal success story.”
Manning ended his first year as a starting quarterback at Texas with 26 touchdowns and 7 interceptions under his belt, while throwing for 3,163 yards.
