For Arch Manning, pressure came with the last name. His early-season struggles last year drew plenty of attention before he finally found momentum. Now entering the 2026 season with a stronger receiver room at Texas, Manning has more weapons, and Urban Meyer expects him to prove that the hype surrounding him is justified.
During his August 29 appearance on Oh My-ers Sports, the former Ohio State head coach was asked to name his top college football players to watch this season. He picked Arch Manning, but his answer came with a word of caution.
“I think Arch Manning is going to, you know, everybody kind of anointed him a first-round draft pick and Heisman Trophy winner last year, and I even said on TV, I said, ‘What are you talking about? He’s not ready.’ I watched him the year before. I think he’s got a better group around him, or a more experienced group, and I’m talking about receivers and the skill positions at Texas were okay last year, not great. I understand they’re much better,” said Urban Meyer.
Arch Manning’s Texas journey got off to a rocky start last season, beginning with a loss to Ohio State, followed by a messy outing against UTEP and a two-interception defeat at Florida. Through his first seven games, Manning endured wild week-to-week swings, completing 60.3% of his passes with a 140.4 rating.
It was far from what many expected from him. However, he eventually found his rhythm and helped Texas win seven of its final eight games. Still, after opening the season ranked No. 1 in the preseason AP poll, the Longhorns couldn’t make it to the playoffs, and Manning’s late turnaround was not enough to meet expectations.
Meyer’s point carries weight, as Manning never had a truly reliable, deep receiver room last season. Texas managed just 3,259 passing yards in 2025, roughly 1,200 fewer than in 2024. DeAndre Moore’s injury, Emmett Mosley’s delayed debut, and inexperienced freshmen left the Longhorns thin beyond their top two options.
However, the Texas Longhorns do not have the same problems in their receiver room this year. With DeAndre Moore, Parker Livingstone, and Jaime Ffrench gone, Texas has reloaded by bringing in Cam Coleman, the No. 1 wide receiver in the transfer portal.
Coleman caught 56 passes for 708 yards and five touchdowns as Auburn’s leading receiver in 2025 despite shaky quarterback play. ESPN’s preseason top-10 receiver rankings for 2026 place Coleman third, while Ryan Wingo comes in at ninth, giving the Longhorns two of the nation’s top-ranked receivers.
Moreover, Texas’ offensive woes were also due to an imbalanced attack. The Longhorns lacked a consistent run threat, which made life difficult for a first-year starter. Steve Sarkisian has addressed that through the portal by bringing in Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown. Even the O-line should look better in pass protection compared to last year.
During the offseason, Arch Manning was restricted in spring practice as he recovered from a minor foot procedure in January. He was limited to select 7-on-7 and positional drills and missed the Longhorns’ open practice. When fall camp arrived, Manning got his first extended opportunity to work fully with Texas’s new-look 2026 receiving corps.
“He’s had a great camp, and I’m really pumped about it,” Sarkisian said. “I’m excited for him; I think he’s going to play very well. We’ve got two more weeks to continue to sharpen up. But I’m very excited for where he’s at and what type of camp he’s had.”
There are high expectations for him this year, especially now that Manning has the team around him that he wants. But will he be able to perform better than he did last year?