Steve Sarkisian Reveals Major Change in Arch Manning’s Attitude Ahead of Texas’ Ole Miss Clash

Arch Manning and Steve Sarkisian search for answers as the Texas Longhorns look to bounce back after a stunning 27-24 loss to the Florida Gators. Texas was expected to beat the Gators, who were coming off a heavy defeat against the South Carolina Gamecocks. But, the new era of the SEC comes with no guarantees or easy games, and Texas got a taste of that in the upset loss.

Manning completed 14 of 20 passes for 173 yards and one touchdown. The Texas quarterback was accurate, on paper, as he threw zero interceptions during the game. But, Manning’s decision-making when his initial read wasn’t available is a cause for concern. What doesn’t help is Texas’ offensive line, as Manning was sacked 5 times during the Florida game.

Texas was quick off the block against Florida to take a 17-3 lead, but the Gators fought back to win the game. This leaves Texas at 4-2 overall and 1-2 in the SEC, which in turn means that the team’s College Football Playoff hopes hang in the balance ahead of the Ole Miss game.

There was speculation about whether Manning would lead the Longhorns after the loss to Florida. ESPN’s Pete Thamel has put that speculation to rest by confirming Manning’s status as QB1. However, he also reported that redshirt freshman KJ Lacey Jr. is expected to receive more first-team repetitions in practice.

Now, Sarkisian has given an interesting update on Manning before the Ole Miss game. Addressing the media, Sarkisian said, “I think that somebody texted me today that we lost the ‘Ah Shucks kid’, you know, and we’ve created something else.”

NEW: Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian says QB Arch Manning is “edgy” right now:
“I think that somebody texted me today that we lost the ‘Ah Shucks kid’, you know, and we’ve created something else. I don’t know if we lost him. We created this, you know. We did, all of us, y’all… https://t.co/j6QvrjKX5cpic.twitter.com/mYQVvWOtiD

— On3 (@On3) October 22, 2026

“I don’t know if we lost him. We created this, you know. We did, all of us, y’all included, meet the whole thing, right? Everybody on ESPN, we’ve created this,” he added.

Manning is a top-quality quarterback and we have seen evidence of that in bits and pieces. But if he wants to enter the elite category, he needs to stitch together performances that win Texas games, and Ole Miss could be the perfect start to that.

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This story was originally published by Athlon on Oct 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.