Arch Manning has been in the spotlight since his high school days. While he struggled to find his footing last season, the former Texas HC Mack Brown believes the Longhorns’ QB1 is ready to embrace the pressure now, and it has a lot to do with how Manning’s 2025 campaign ended.

“Well, the way Arch finished, he had confidence; he’s a leader, and now he’s all bought in,” Mack Brown said on the episode of Stampede on August 10. “Last year, he’d started two games. And he loses his opener. He wasn’t sure he was the guy yet. He’s smart enough, and he’s been around great leaders in his family. He didn’t want to lead till he earned it. Now, he’s earned it. He walks in the room now; everybody stops.”

“He’s laughing; he’s playing. This time last year, he was kind of shy and worried about what the media is going to say, and worried about this and that and didn’t have an offensive line that he wanted and didn’t have running backs that he wanted and a lot of missing pieces. Now, he got all the pieces. So, he walks in the room now like Vince [Young] walked in the room, and everybody stops and looks. And that’s why they have a chance to win all the games.”

Being compared to Vince Young is an achievement in itself. The former Texas QB was the first player in NCAA history to throw for over 3,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season. But more than his stats, it was his aura that charmed everyone.

In Brown’s eyes, Manning’s previous hesitation has now turned into an undeniable “alpha” presence who is eager to lead. And as Brown correctly highlights, Texas’s losses in 2025 weren’t all down to Arch Manning. Steve Sarkisian has admitted how he failed to give Manning necessary weapons to ease off the pressure.

Moreover, the lack of a consistent run game didn’t help as well. Combine that with poor O-line and receiver drops, and you get a fair assessment of why Texas lost three games last season.

For the 2026 season, much of it has changed. Texas secured the No. 1 WR of the portal, Cam Coleman. He is the crown jewel of Texas’ transfer class. After spending two seasons at Auburn, he transferred to Texas in January 2026 to become the primary outside weapon for Arch Manning.

They also have Ryan Wingo on the roster, who has two years of experience. He will provide a perfect physical counterpart to Coleman on the opposite side. The Stanford transfer Emmett Mosley has taken over as the primary starter in the slot. He will provide Manning with a lethal and reliable security blanket over the middle. 

Now, Arch Manning has the chance at an ultimate redemption. He is entering another season with Heisman odds, but with better pieces on the roster. More importantly, rather than traveling to Columbus, Arch will face Ohio State at home.