Arch Manning’s 2025 season was a roller coaster ride. While incompletions and low efficiency marred his initial games, his performance late in the season was entirely different. That also included an impressive performance against Michigan in the bowl game. Yet, he continues to have naysayers. But if you ask 3-time national championship winner Urban Meyer, Manning was only 50% at fault.

“I covered him [Arch Manning] a bunch just because I like watching your team,” Meyer said on the June 17 episode of his Triple Option podcast with Steve Sarkisian as a guest. “When I watched your team last year, I saw Arch Manning struggle early on and then obviously improve. But I always tell people… When you see a bad throw, a bad interception, or something, 50% of the time it’s him. 30% of the time, it’s those receivers, and then 20% it’s the line, it’s a back, it’s someone who scre-s up.”

Manning’s 3,163 yards and 26 TDs masked early struggles that nearly derailed his season. In his first career start against Ohio State, Arch completed 17 of 30 passes for 170 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Texas lost 14-7. The following weeks were also uneven.

Against UTEP, he completed only 11 of 25 passes for 114 yards and an interception, including a stretch of 10 straight incompletions in the first half. For Meyer, though, those struggles didn’t mean that Arch was the problem. “Your offensive skills, I know you’ve improved it. But I didn’t feel like they [players] did a good enough job for a young quarterback early in that season,” Meyer said to Steve Sarkisian.

Sarkisian’s own review of the 2025 offense backed up much of Meyer’s criticism. Texas lacked explosive receivers like Matthew Golden, who had previously made the Longhorns dangerous in 2024. The running game also failed to consistently punish defenses playing two-high safeties. And all defensive focus shifted to RB Quintrevion Wisner after Jaydon Blue left for the NFL. Without a ground game, Sarkisian’s play-action design lost its teeth.

“I think you’re spot on. We weren’t as explosive an offense as we’re accustomed to having around here… We were a little young at the [wideout] position. We lacked the ability to run the football, to create balance in our offense,” Steve Sarkisian replied. “All those things added up to when the season ended. That was a big key component for me, it’s okay, ‘We need another weapon on the perimeter that has to strike fear into the defensive coordinators and defensive players. We needed to be more explosive out of the backfield.'”

Texas’s offensive line struggles also became a major topic of discussion during the season. Especially after games where Manning faced constant pressure (pressured on over 46% of his dropbacks). But the second half of the year showed a different quarterback.

Manning became more comfortable with his reads, handled pressure better, and developed a greater command of Sarkisian’s offense. As a result, he completed 74.2% of his passes in the second half.

Steve Sarkisian accepts Arch Manning was unfairly blamed last year

Following the 2025 struggles, Steve Sarkisian tapped the portal to add 23 players. Bringing them was also important, as Texas saw 25 portal departures, including standout names such as CJ Baxter, Trey Weisner, and Parker Livingstone. But Sterling Berkhalter (WR) came to Austin from Wake Forest, along with Auburn’s Cam Coleman. Then there is Hollywood Smothers (RB). He gives Texas legitimate ground attack potential.

“What happened last year was that Arch kind of had to bear all the weight of all that,” Steve Sarkisian added. “I thought he really elevated his game in the second half of the season, and we’re playing more explosives, but to rely just on him wasn’t fair to him.”

This year, hopefully, Arch will have a much more relaxed pocket and a quality offense. He has already shown the quality in those games against Michigan and Texas A&M last year.