Everything Texas Longhorns QB Arch Manning said at SEC Media Days

Texas quarterback Arch Manning is looking to build off his progress in the later half of the 2025 season. The third generation Manning QB struggled out of the gate last year and was labeled a "flop" by the NY Times. But Manning kept his head down and continued to work.

Arch is entering his redshirt junior year and his second full year as the Longhorns starter. Manning started all 13 games in 2025. He was 248-for-404 for 3163 yards and 26 touchdowns. The New Orleans native also threw seven interceptions and rushed for 10 touchdowns. He even had one receiving touchdown. Manning and the Longhorns finished the 2025 season 7-1, with the lone loss coming at Georgia in Athens.

Sarkisian spoke a lot about quarterback Arch Manning during his SEC Media Days press conference. Sark thinks very few individuals could have survived and improved after the scrutiny, adoration and then criticism he endured in 2025.

"All he did was stay consistent to true to what he was was," Sarkisian told the SEC Media Days press. "Which was continue to work hard, continue to be a good teammate and try to get better. And he did. And he came out and played the second half of the season at a really high level. We go 7-1. He's got about 20 touchdowns, only two turnovers. He's a fantastic player at the end of the year."

Here is everything Arch Manning said during his press conference at SEC Media Days:

Q. Week two is a big week for you guys hosting Ohio State with a night game. How are you feeling going into that game?

Arch Manning: Yeah, we're excited. Obviously week two is a big game. But we've got a bunch of big games and so we're just gonna take it one day at a time.

Q. Being a third-generation SEC quarterback, what does playing in this conference mean to you personally?

Arch Manning: It's very special to me. I grew up going to SEC games, whether it's LSU, Ole Miss. So, now playing in it is a dream come true.

Q. What has stood out about throwing to Cam Coleman so far, what makes him special?

Arch Manning: Obviously he's a really good athlete, a freak athlete. But he's also a really good person and a very hard worker. We're excited to have him.

Q. What did you take from that Ohio State game the first go around that you can bring into your second match-up with them?

Arch Manning: Yeah, I learned a lot. Obviously gaining those game experiences was really good for me. Obviously, that was a rough game. I've learned from it, and moving on, and motivating it for me for this year.

Q. Last season you were coming in as a first-year starter for the full time and there were expectations coming in, lofty expectations. There are big expectations on you this year as well. How are you handling that this season after the aftermath of last season? Are you letting it impact you, or are you just focusing on going out and playing your game and running your race?

Arch Manning: Yeah, my goal this offseason was just to stay present, take it one day at a time. I'm not really worried about the outside world. And that's what I'll continue to try to do.

Q. Adding to what you said about Cam, how have you built a relationship with him this offseason? How would you describe him as a teammate?

Arch Manning: He's a great teammate. He works really hard. The good thing about Cam and how we built our relationship is he always wants to throw, he always wants to meet extra. And I think anytime you get a guy like that, it's easier for me to become close with.

And he's also a good guy. He can joke, and we can go eat. And I'm excited to have him on my team, that's for sure.

Q. This will be your second season as a starter at Texas. Can you just talk a little bit about your relationship with Steve Sarkisian and how that's grown in the last two years?

Arch Manning: We have a great relationship. I think he has a good relationship with our whole team. We all trust him. We're excited to play for him. He gets us to play hard for him. And I'm excited for year two with him.

Q. Coach Sark has talked about his quarterbacks playing on time. What exactly does that look like when you're under center?

Arch Manning: I think going through your reads and getting the ball to the right people. And I think I didn't do that sometimes last year, but trying to get better at that this year.

Q. Louisiana native. You'll be playing in Baton Rouge in November. You must think about that once in a while.

Arch Manning: Yeah, yeah, of course. I definitely heard about that when I went back to Manning Passing Academy in Louisiana. But we're excited. I grew up going to Baton Rouge for football games.

And we're excited to go. It's going to be a good game. They're a great program with a bunch of good players. So we're excited.

Q. With your time at Texas so far, what have you learned about the rivalry in the Lone Star Showdown? Two years ago was your first taste of it in College Station. What do you remember about that?

Arch Manning: A&M, they've got a bunch of good players, a great coach. That atmosphere is the real deal. We're always excited for that rivalry game. We're pumped up.

Q. You guys play Tennessee in SEC play early on. Peyton said he was rooting for you, not his alma mater in Tennessee. What have been your experiences in Neyland, and maybe talk about his time at Tennessee?

Arch Manning: I've never been. So I'm excited to go for the first time. We're all pumped up. First SEC game. That's a great program. I spent some time with George MacIntyre this offseason. He's a really good dude. We're all excited.

Q. A lot has been made about the additions at running back as well as your wide receivers. How has that tight end group coming along? Where is room for improvement, and what are some of the strengths right there?

Arch Manning: We've got a lot of depth in the tight end room. All a bunch of good guys. And we're excited. I think it's going to come down to camp to see who takes that role. But it's been a good offseason with those guys.

Q. Parker Livingstone transferring sides from Texas to OU. What's it gonna be like to face him this year?

Arch Manning: Yeah, it's going to be different. I mean, he was my roommate. So now playing against him is definitely a little bit of a change. I think that's just kind of how college football is now.

Q. Yesterday I was covering Ole Miss. Of course you have got family connections there. They were talking a lot about legacy this year and what that means. I'm just wondering in your experience with your family and connections to Ole Miss and everything, what you've learned in your life does legacy mean to you and just from what you've witnessed?

Arch Manning: Yeah, I grew up going to Ole Miss games. Obviously Eli and my grandfather built legacies at Ole Miss.

We're just trying to take it day-by-day and win some games this year. I'm not really worried about my legacy.

Q. Last year, the Arch Manning that walked into Ohio State and now the one that we're talking to at SEC media days, what's the biggest difference mentally and physically between those two people?

Arch Manning: I think I've become more present. I've obviously matured. I think going through those rough times, I learned a lot about myself. And I've become a better man because of it and hopefully a better player. I don't want to repeat that game.

Q. I want to talk a little bit about freshman Jermaine Bishop. What have you seen from him? Sark talked that he's going to play receiver, going to be on the offensive side of the ball. Spent a little bit of time in DB meetings, of course, we all know this. What have you seen from him that he can help this football team in 2026, not just down the line as he progresses?

Arch Manning: Yeah, Jermaine's a great athlete, great player. His high school highlight tape is unreal. But he's also really smart and very competitive. So we're glad to have him on our team.

Q. How would you, on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate where the offense was going into the fall camp of 2025 and where the offense is going into fall camp of 2026?

Arch Manning: Yeah, I think it's a totally different group. We're definitely all probably a year better. But I don't know. It's not really for me to rate. I think that's y'all's job. I'll let you all decide that once we start playing.

Q. Let's fast-forward to a September Saturday in Austin. You're at Memorial Stadium. You're seeing all these people in burnt orange. They're screaming "Hook 'em horns." It's not your first rodeo in the tunnel. But do you still get goosebumps?

Arch Manning: Yeah, of course. I think anytime you run out of the tunnel, you get goosebumps. It's a dream come true to be in that position. I'm fired up for those moments.

This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Everything Texas Longhorns QB Arch Manning said at SEC Media Days