Arch Manning showed up to Texas’ first spring practice of 2026. For a quarterback recovering from foot surgery, that alone said something. He wasn’t in full pads and wasn’t taking live reps with the first-team offense. But after the media cleared out on Monday, he was out there throwing. And according to Steve Sarkisian, he is on schedule.

“He’s right on the path that we thought he would be, but we’re not in a rush to get him out there,” Sarkisian said at his first spring practice press conference Monday. “He did some throwing today, but he’s right on; we’re just not in a rush.” 

Sarkisian confirmed that Manning is progressing through throwing routes on air and seven-on-seven work. And that the plan was always to ease him back gradually across the spring schedule.

“So all those things are underway, and we’ll get him going more and more as we get through the spring. We got three this week, we get spring break, we’ll get back. So, like I said, I’m in no rush. I want to make sure he’s 100 percent.” Sark added. 

Considering that the spring game isn’t until April 18th and the season opener against Texas State isn’t until September 5th, Manning has plenty of room to get back to his best.

The injury that has Manning on the sidelines isn’t new. Cooper Manning told Horns247 this past weekend that the foot issue actually originated during a 15-yard fourth-down touchdown run Arch made against Texas A&M back in November 2024.

“The injury was something that had been bothering him all year,” Cooper said. “He’d been doing therapy for it, and I think he kind of aggravated it in the Texas A&M game the year before, on that touchdown run he had. So, he’d been doing therapy on it all year and finally just said, “Look, I want to go ahead and just get this thing fixed and not have to worry about it anymore.”

Texas confirmed the surgery in January 2026. They described it as “a minor foot surgery as a preventative measure to address a previous injury.” By late February, Manning was already out of the walking boot.

When you go back and watch the 2025 season with that information, the whole year reads differently. Manning’s first five games were rough: five interceptions and an uncomfortable 14-7 loss to Ohio State, where he completed just 56% of his passes. He also had a stretch against UTEP that included 10 consecutive incompletions.

But from Week 6 onward, once he found his rhythm, he threw 15 touchdowns to just two interceptions in the final eight games. He posted a 328-yard performance against Vanderbilt and then capped the whole year with a Citrus Bowl MVP performance against Michigan. 

Cooper Manning, for all his candor about managing expectations, sounds legitimately optimistic about what comes next.

“I was really glad to see him get better every week,” Cooper told CBS Sports. “I think your confidence grows as you play more games. You learn how to win some games in the fourth quarter, maybe when you didn’t have your best stuff. It’s fun to watch your kids mature, but it’s also fun to watch an athlete mature and start playing their best football as the season ends.” 

A fully healthy Arch Manning entering 2026, with a complete season of starting experience, a coaching staff he’s been in for three years, and a foot that no longer needs daily physical therapy. This is the version of this quarterback that Texas has been building toward since he arrived. Monday was just step one of getting there.

Arch Manning’s limited action could open doors for others

Although Arch Manning’s injury was not severe, it needed to be treated because he had been dealing with it for a long time, and it affected his performance last season. Now, while aiming for a breakout 2026 season, he is still recovering from surgery. But reporter CJ Vogel recently shared an update that could leave Texas fans concerned.

“No passes were attempted as Manning recovers from offseason foot surgery,” wrote Vogel. “QB KJ Lacey received the first reps of the spring during the media window.”

Surely, Arch Manning didn’t participate actively in Monday’s practice. Still, there is nothing to worry about because Lacey is a redshirt freshman QB and is a primary contender for the QB2 role behind Manning. Last season, he appeared in only one game as a true freshman and completed his only pass attempt for 7 yards. And Sarkisian thinks this is a good opportunity for other QBs to get some reps in with the first team.

“I also think (that’s) important for us from a developmental standpoint, with KJ and with Dia,” he said. “What a great opportunity for those guys, for us thinking long-term, thinking into this fall and future falls that we’ve got. This is a great opportunity for those guys to build that (chemistry).”

But now, following his practice impression, analysts currently favor him to win the backup job over 5-star true freshman Dia Bell and veteran transfer MJ Morris. Still, nothing is fixed, and we will see how the QB room performs this season.