Former SEC Champion Puts Massive Stock in Arch Manning’s Leap for Texas

Former SEC Champion Puts Massive Stock in Arch Manning’s Leap for Texas

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Former SEC Champion Puts Massive Stock in Arch Manning’s Leap for Texas

Arch Manning is the highly touted Texas Longhorns starter who completed his first full season as the primary quarterback in 2025. Texas finished 10-3 overall including a Citrus Bowl win. But Manning was off to a shaky start in 2025 gradually adapting and overcoming to dominate at the end of the season. Which is why Greg McElroy talked highly about his growth in the last season.

Greg McElroy opines on Arch Manning’s growth

In an August 2026 segment on ESPN’s College Football Countdown, analyst Greg McElroy offered a pointed assessment of Texas quarterback Arch Manning’s development the previous year.

“There is no quarterback in college football that grew more from Week 1 to Week 13 last year than Arch Manning,” McElroy said.

Arch Manning
Nov 28, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning warms up before a game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

“Here’s my thing, early in the season he was playing too fast, his mechanics were a mess. By the time he got to week 5, he started to settle down and started to be more reactive. And then by the end of the season he was dictating things in being the field general,” he recalled.

The remarks came during a discussion of the top returning quarterbacks and early Heisman Trophy odds, where Manning appeared near the top of the board around +750. On-screen graphics reinforced the point by listing his 2025 production: third in the SEC with 26 passing touchdowns, tied for the most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 10, and an FBS-best 93 Total QBR after Week 9.

Arch Manning entered the 2025 season carrying enormous expectations as the highly touted starter for a Texas team ranked No. 1 in some preseason polls. Across 13 games, including the Citrus Bowl, Manning completed 248 of 404 passes for 3,163 yards, 26 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, posting a 144.9 passer rating and 7.8 yards per attempt. On the ground he added 92 carries for 399 yards and 10 touchdowns, giving him 36 total touchdowns accounted for through the air and on the ground. Those numbers ranked him among the SEC’s top producers and helped Texas finish 10-3.

McElroy himself is a SEC champion. He led Alabama to the 2009 SEC Championship and was named MVP. In that game, Alabama defeated No. 1 Florida 32-13, en route to winning the national title.

Arch Manning won bowl MVP by coming back from 14-7 loss in season opener

Arch Manning had a rough start in 2025. In the opener against Ohio State, he was off. His throws were off target, his timing was slow, and he made some bad decisions when things got tough. Texas lost 14-7, and honestly, it wasn’t pretty.

But something clicked around the Oklahoma game. Manning went 21 of 27 with zero turnovers and looked like a completely different quarterback. Texas noticed, and they built the whole offense around what was working. Shorter, quicker passes that let him get the ball out fast and play with confidence.

And just like that, everything started clicking. He got more accurate, threw for more yards, and basically stopped throwing interceptions. The ugly early mistakes were gone.

By the end of the season, Manning was rolling. Texas won 7 of their last 8 games, beat some ranked teams, and Manning racked up most of his 26 touchdowns during that stretch. He was taking care of the ball, standing tall in the pocket, and just looked locked in. He capped it all off by winning bowl MVP, showing everything he had learned all season.

Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns open their 2026 season next week. Their first game is September 5th vs. Texas State at 2:30 p.m. CT.

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