Arch Manning does not just have to lead the Longhorns to a successful 2026 season; he also has to make his naysayers believe in him again. His 2025 performance, especially in the first five games, proved many of his detractors right, as he fell short of expectations. As the debates for the best quarterback in the SEC heat up, Stephen A Smith has picked another quarterback over Manning.

“We know he’s got some wheels; he had foot surgery in the off-season,” ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said on First Take. “He says he’s going to be 100%. We know he can make plays with his legs, not just his arm. We get that partly, put too much pressure on himself. He was labeled a Heisman Trophy candidate by the one-and-only Paul Finebaum, the mouth of the South, before the man threw a damn pass. To me, it was a lot of pressure.”

“I understand that; nevertheless, to see the transfer that was Trinidad Chambliss, performing the way that he did for Ole Miss throughout the season last year, while Lane Kiffin was there and after he departed, and balling the way he did on the big stage in the College Football Playoffs, I don’t see how anybody can just put Arch Manning ahead of him. I’m sorry, I’m not doing it.”

After two long seasons of waiting for Arch Manning to secure the QB1 role at Texas, fans finally got their wish in 2025. Being the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2023 class came with many expectations, but being from the Manning family of legendary quarterbacks came with even more demands.

Unfortunately, he had a disappointing start to his tenure as the starting quarterback. In the UTEP game, Manning threw 10 consecutive incomplete passes. The game ended with him completing 11 of 25 passes for 114 yards.

On the other hand, Stephen A. Smith’s new favorite, Trinidad Chambliss, had less hype and only became the starting quarterback after Austin Simmons picked up an ankle injury in Week 2. He took advantage of the opportunity and played well enough to finish No. 8 in the Heisman Trophy voting after throwing for 3,937 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Comparing both situations, the pressure could have been a factor for Manning, as Stephen A. Smith admitted. Chambliss came to prove a point, while Manning came to live up to expectations. And based on what the 2025 season revealed, Chambliss was the easy option.

But Manning cannot be written off either. The most encouraging fact about the Texas QB1 is that he found his rhythm as the season continued. He was much better in the last eight games than in the first five. Should Manning pick it up from where he stopped in 2025, then he may just win back the support of many of his lost advocates, like Finebaum, who had tipped him for a Heisman nomination before the 2025 season began.

However, Chambliss is also coming off his heroics against Georgia and Miami. He dismantled two elite defenses in back-to-back games, and this was when no one expected Ole Miss to put up a fight. If the Rebels’ QB1 continues his momentum, a Heisman can be in his sights.