Arch Manning walked into 2025 with a Heisman-or-bust hype train behind him. But it ran straight into a wall in the season opener, a 14-7 loss to Ohio State where he went 17-of-30 for 130 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Texas had entered the year ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll and still missed the College Football Playoff, and Steve Sarkisian believes what his quarterback endured that season would have broken almost anyone else.

“I just think that it was [immense]. We’re all human,” said Sarkisian during his July 30 appearance on The Rich Eisen Show when asked if irrelevant questions on Manning’s ability have changed this year compared to last year. “And as much as you know, he can say I’m off social media, and I don’t listen to that stuff. But I think you have to go through it to really understand what that feels like.”

“I’ll be frank—99% of the people in his shoes at his age going through what he went through last year, I think, could have destroyed him, could have melted him, and he didn’t.”

Manning enters 2026 as the undisputed starter, but last year’s rocky start is exactly why Sarkisian says the criticism, however harsh, tracked with what actually happened. Manning didn’t play to the level people expected, and some of the same voices that hyped him up turned on him for it. He was sacked six times against Florida and recorded five turnovers across his first six games as the starter. A lingering foot injury and inconsistent short-yardage accuracy compounded the early struggles.

Sarkisian sees that turnaround as more than just a stat-sheet correction. “I think he got stronger. I think he got better for it,” he said, pointing to how Manning represents both the university and his own family through everything that happened.

“I think he’s a lot more confident,” Sarkisian added at SEC Media Days. “Last season, he found out a lot about himself.”

That growth is exactly why Sarkisian isn’t worried about the noise still surrounding Manning’s name heading into this season.

Texas HC feels ‘proud of’ Arch Manning

Manning carries the weight of his surname whether he wants to or not, and it was part of why the criticism cut so deep last season. He was called overrated. His accuracy came under constant scrutiny. Even so, plenty of people still believe he’s built for a big year.

“There’s people out there who still think he’s going to be the first pick of the draft,” Sarkisian said. “There’s still people out there who still think he’s going to win the Heisman Trophy.” Manning currently sits at +750 to win the award, per BetMGM, and skeptics remain just as loud as the believers.

This season, Manning has +750 odds to win the Heisman as per BetMGM. Still, there are people who think Arch Manning will not be able to perform at that level in 2026 too. However, Sark believes these noises move the needle for the Texas QB.

“He’s doing great, man. Like, I’m really—I’m so proud of him. Why? Because, you know, anytime you have that name on the back of your jersey, that carries so much weight,” added Sarkisian.

That name belongs to a family that’s shaped football for generations, from Archie to Peyton, Eli, and Cooper, and Arch. He now carries it into a season that starts to answer those questions in real time when Texas hosts Ohio State on Sept. 12, a rematch of the exact game that kicked off all this scrutiny in the first place.