Man, what is happening down in Texas? The Longhorns are straight up spiraling, dropping from the No. 1 spot to No. 19 in the AP Top 25 in just two weeks, and Arch Manning’s struggles are right at the heart of it all, with his NFL draft stock taking a massive hit.
Sarkisian’s Messy Quarterback Circus
It feels like head coach Steve Sarkisian is just pouring gasoline on an already raging fire. After Texas barely scraped by Tennessee and then lost two straight games, Manning’s play has been rough. And what does Sarkisian do? Well, after the loss to Florida, he first *defended* Arch, saying he’d get praised more if his last name wasn’t Manning. Pretty wild, right? But then, just a few days later, he completely flips the script, announcing he’s evaluating Manning’s performance and wouldn’t rule out benching him. Talk about whiplash!
This back-and-forth has led to backup quarterback KJ Lacey Jr. getting more first-team reps, even though Thamel from ESPN says Manning is still *likely* QB1 for now. But come on, if he keeps this up, how long can that last? Insider Graham Coffey absolutely blasted Sarkisian for this whole situation on social media, saying, “The entire Arch Manning , Texas marriage will go down as a case study in how to mismanage a young QB.” He didn’t stop there either, adding, “If Sark crashes out this season, the last week will be a microcosm of why Texas keeps squandering super talented rosters.” It really seems like the coach is just making a tough situation for his young quarterback even tougher.
Arch’s Plummeting Draft Stock and Falling Offence
Remember back in Week 2? Arch Manning was electric against No. 1 Ohio State. Everyone, and I mean *everyone*, was talking about him as a lock for the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, with Kalshi having him at 31%. But man, how fast things change in college football. Since then, it’s been a nightmare. He struggled against UTSA and Tennessee, and then those two straight losses to Oklahoma and Florida? Brutal.
Sports Illustrated reports his draft stock is just plummeting. In those two big losses alone, he managed 433 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, and two interceptions. Sounds okay, maybe? But here’s the kicker: he also got sacked *seven times*! That’s gotta hurt. Now, Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is looking like the favorite for the top pick, while Manning just keeps falling. It’s a tough spot for a guy with that kind of hype coming into the season.
So, what’s next for the Longhorns and Arch? The team is clearly in a freefall, and the coach’s confusing messaging isn’t helping anyone. They’ve gotta figure this out fast, or this season could go from bad to an absolute disaster.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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