This year, fans are in for a treat as Arch Manning takes his first snap as a starter. Everyone’s been waiting for him to step up to that QB1 spot! He’s stepping into a team that’s been to the playoffs the last two years but fell short in the semifinals. Can Steve Sarkisian’s team get over the hump? With Arch in the mix, people are really excited about what’s to come. That said, one rival insider thinks fans might be a bit too optimistic about it all.

Manning showed what he could do in his limited appearance last year, still backing Quinn Ewers at the time. In the UTSA game last year, Manning made his mark as the Longhorns’ future QB1. He finished the season with 963 passing yards and nine touchdowns. When he didn’t start the game, Sarkisian utilized the third-generation Manning in crucial red zone plays. With Ewers off to the NFL, Arch has the keys to the offense.

The Arch Madness is also what is supposed to take Sarkisian over that bump and finally clinch the National Championship title. The head coach went 12-2 and 13-3 in his last two run-ups to the natty game, and he has the tools to publish an equally impressive record this year, too. But TexAgs’ Billy Liucci thinks that Manning and Texas stand a chance of failing people’s high hopes for them.

In a June 20 video of Crain & Company, Jake Crain asked him how good Manning and Texas were looking. Liucci said, “I don’t know.” In fact, he thinks Texas’s 2025 team is not as elite compared to other SEC juggernauts. “I’m not ready to call [Sarkisian] Kirby Smart or Nick Saban, or I’m not ready to call Texas Georgia or Alabama… They’re not going to have as talented guys on the field,” Liucci argued. He did mention the presence of Colin Simmons, Anthony Hill Jr., and Manning. But Liucci remains unconvinced. “Compared to last season, I don’t think that team will be as good.”

In this year’s draft, 5 Longhorns were picked within the first two rounds. A total of 12 will now debut in the NFL. However, Liucci is also a through-and-through Aggies fan. Texas A&M also has good hopes, but the majority of experts rank Texas far above its rivals. Mike Elko will be returning this year with Marcel Reed, who has a lot more to prove than Arch Manning. When it comes to comparing these two, the Longhorns QB1 is the easy winner.

Liucci also brought forward the notion that Sarkisian and Manning’s competitors are looking better than Texas at the moment. “It’s them compared to this year’s top contenders. Whether it’s [Gunnar] Stockton, whether it’s, you know, Ty Simpson, you look around at all these contenders and there are questions at QB,” he said. Liucci still has faith that Manning will display his prowess and will ultimately finish high in the rankings. “I see Arch throw a deep ball. I watch him run; he’s going to be very difficult to tackle. But I’m sitting there going, I think he’s going to be really good, I do. And I think he’s going to be a high draft pick.”

In all, Manning alone isn’t Sarkisian’s key to success. He has to get all the gears in motion to get the team to function smoothly and continue the successes from last year. Liucci wants to see Manning do much better than last year for him to be placed higher up in his rankings.

Arch Manning may be helped by a favorable schedule

“I got crushed last year by the Longhorn faithful for saying Quinn Ewers is not a top-five pick, not a first-round pick. I was like, ‘He’s not top-five pick. He’s not a Heisman finalist. You guys are getting too far ahead.” Liucci stated about the time when the former QB1’s stocks were being analyzed. Forget the top rounds; Ewers was picked in the very last one, as the No. 231 pick. For Manning, Liucci thinks the QB is yet to prove himself as a top draft pick in his eyes.

“I think Arch’s upside is that. But we got to see more of it than him against Mississippi State and Louisiana-Monroe,” he claimed. Manning’s first start will be against the National title defenders from last year. Later on in the season, he will once again face Georgia, the team that beat the Longhorns twice last year. There are still debates about whether Texas’s schedule is the easiest in the conference. The Longhorns don’t play a home game against an SEC team until Georgia towards the end. But Sarkisian’s new QB1 has the best shot at displaying the Manning legacy this season.

Manning has the opportunity to make full use of this freedom and stamp his mark as one of the best quarterbacks in college football. It’s not easy to convince Aggies enthusiasts that Texas is the better team. This year, Steve Sarkisian might get the chance to do just that.