What Texas needs out of Arch Manning to make CFP title game

Yardbarker · Jul 21, 2026 03:05 · 3 min read

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning.

The Texas Longhorns have to feel like they've put together a team that can win it all this season. At the very least, they're going to be one of the top contenders in college football.

The Longhorns have a brutally tough schedule in 2026, but they also have elite players all across the board.

Wideout Cam Coleman transferred to Austin after putting up 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns over the past two seasons for the Auburn Tigers. EDGE Colin Simmons is one of the most disruptive defenders in the country, having put up a total of 21 sacks and six forced fumbles in his freshman and sophomore seasons. Redshirt junior left tackle Trevor Goosby checks in at 6-foot-7, 325 pounds and is a 2026 Phil Steele preseason First-Team All-America selection

The Longhorns have also got one of the best coaches in college football calling the shots in Steve Sarkisian.

Oh, and then there's the quarterback, Arch Manning. He very well could be a Heisman Trophy contender in 2026 and a top pick in the 2027 NFL Draft when all is said and done.

Texas is stacked, but the Longhorns will only go as far as Manning takes them in 2026.

The former consensus No. 1 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, Manning has had a bit of an up-and-down college career that has undoubtedly suffered because of the expectations his last name creates.

When your uncles are Peyton Manning and Eli Manning and your grandfather is Archie Manning, you better be elite or the haters are going to come out of the woodwork.

Manning has given "the haters" some ammo in his few seasons at Texas, but the high upside is absolutely there.

In fact, ESPN college football analyst Jordan Rodgers believes Manning can lead the Longhorns to a national championship in 2026. There is one caveat, though.

The former five-star has to get better in one critical area.

Arch Manning must improve his consistency for the Texas Longhorns to make a run

"Here's what I need to see from Arch: More consistency," Rodgers said on ESPN's "Get Up" on Monday.

Rodgers brought up the numbers, and they are hard to argue against if you're a Texas fan. Manning was one of the most inaccurate quarterbacks in college football last season, especially in the short game. His short-game completion percentage of 56 percent was last in the SEC and 122nd in the country.

Manning sometimes made throws that would make you scratch your head, including some funky-looking side-arm passes.

"All that has to do with footwork and mechanics," Rodgers explained. "You started to see him get a little bit better as the year went on. He's got to clean his footwork up, which in turn is going to clean up his release point, some of that side-arm lean that you see at times."

If Manning can clean up his mechanics and tap into the elite quarterbacking gene that runs in his blood, Rodgers believes the sky is the limit for Texas this season.