Texas take first step towards replacing Arch Manning as draft analyst urges Aaron Rodgers approach

Arch Manning’s inconsistent start to 2026 has alarm bells ringing for Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian. The Longhorns, early season favorites for the national championship, seemed to be living up to that hype after beating Ohio State to become the No.1 team in the nation. However, back-to-back losses to the unranked Oklahoma and Florida clearly have Sarkisian questioning Arch Manning’s future as the team’s starting quarterback. Manning to have dip in first-team reps Manning played poorly against Oklahoma, throwing two crucial fourth-quarter interceptions that cost Texas the game. He completed 14 of 20 passes for 173 yards against Florida, and fumbled in the final two minutes which allowed Florida to seal a comeback win. ESPN’s senior college reporter Pete Thamel broke the news that freshman KJ Lacey is expected to take a bigger role in practice this week. “ Texas is expected to give an up-tick in first-team quarterback reps to redshirt freshman KJ Lacey Jr. this week in practice,” Thamel reported . “Arch Manning still projects as the Texas starter. The uptick in Lacey’s reps is a signal that Texas could replace Manning if he continues to struggle. “ Manning entered the season expecting to lead a loaded quarterback pool, but has failed to take that next step in his development. Through six games, Manning has thrown for 1,295 yards, with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions as Texas dropped to 5-2 overall. “I think I’ve got to continue to remain creative, but at the same time, not lose sight of who we are fundamentally in the beliefs that we have,” Sarkisian said, via ESPN. “I can’t not be creative because I’m trying to make it easy. We’ve got to do simple better as an offense, but I still have to make things creative for our opponents to have to defend things that make it hard on them.” Mel Kiper Jr offers Manning crucial advice The nephew of NFL greats Eli and Peyton Manning came into 2026 with Heisman hype, but six games in, the conversation is entirely different. “ All I’ll say is right now, you’ve got to go back to college for another year,” Kiper said Monday. “And if you don’t, it’s got to be the Green Bay Packer model of Jordan Love and Aaron Rodgers where you’ve got your guy and you’re picking late first round, and you’ve got your quarterback for another three years – I’m saying three years. I’m not saying one, I’m not saying two. “Patrick Mahomes sat for a year. Let’s forget the year. For Arch, I think it’s three years. It’s got to be the Jordan Love, Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers model if he comes out. “In every game, you get the good, the bad and the ugly. That’s what you’re getting. It’s a wild ride. It’s going to be up, down and around. “You might get a quarter, you might get a series, you might get a glimpse, you might get, maybe, a half. “But you’re not going to get consistency. You’re just not going to. I keep waiting and waiting and waiting for that game.” It’s not the first time Manning has been told to extend his stay in Texas, with uncle Eli sharing the same sentiment. Whether he chooses to stay or declares for the draft remains to be seen, but Manning will be aware performances need to improve in order to remain at the top of the class.