The Texas Longhorns and HC Steve Sarkisian are already failing star QB Arch Manning after rough early offseason stretch
Texas Longhorn quarterback Arch Manning is going to have a lot of new faces around him this offseason.
It has been an extremely interesting 2025 college football season for Texas starting quarterback Arch Manning. With unrealistic expectations heading into the year, Manning had plenty of struggles early in the season. As the year went on, we all saw a lot of improvements for the talented signal caller.
In 12 regular season games, Manning threw for 2,942 yards and 24 touchdowns. The 6-4, 220-pound pocket passer also rushed for another 244 yards and eight scores on the ground, while throwing out seven interceptions. Even with those early struggles, Manning continued to flash the high level upside that he brings to the table.
Even before that year began, it was expected for Manning to be back with the Longhorns in 2026, which had been verified recently. The Manning family is one that values education at a high level, and all have stayed four years. If Manning would have entered the 2026 NFL Draft class, he probably would have still gone high, but returning for one more year is best for his long-term future.
With a talent like Manning back to Texas, you would expect that head coach Steve Sarkisian and the program would have some legitimate National Championship expectations. If you load up with talent around him, this could be a team that makes a deep run, at least in theory. So far, things haven’t been coming according to plan.
The transfer portal is set to open up on January 2, and programs across college football are about to say hello and goodbye to prospective talent. While it is expected that the Longhorns will be aggressive in the portal once it opens, they are saying goodbye to some important skill talent for Manning. It’s at a volume that is pretty unsettling.
That includes top running back Tre Wisner, who announced that he is entering the portal this week. Over the last two seasons, the junior tailback has managed to rush for 1,661 yards and eight touchdowns. The 6-0, 200-pound runner has also hauled in an additional 44 receptions for 457 yards and two scores as a receiver during that stretch.
Texas also said goodbye to talented running backs CJ Baxter, Jerrick Gibson, and Rickey Stewart Jr. via the portal. That means that the Longhorns will be without four running backs from their depth chart from this season who still have eligibility remaining.
Along with several other defections for the Longhorns, the other big loss for the offense so far is starting wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr.. The 6-0, 192-pound pass catcher finished second on the team this season with 38 receptions for 532 yards and four touchdowns. Moore has been an important part of the offense over the last two years.
There is also some belief that tight end Jack Endries could enter the 2026 NFL Draft. If he does, Texas could be without their top three leading running backs, as well as two of their five leading receivers. That is not exactly the turnover you would want to see with a talented veteran quarterback returning.
What support can Manning depend on?
As of today, the Longhorns will be welcoming back leading receiver Ryan Wingo next season. Both Parker Livingstone and Emmett Mosley V will also most likely be returning. If that trio can cut down on some issues with dropped passes, it could end up being a potent group.
The bigger question mark is going to enter around the running game for Texas. Not only are they going to completely overhaul the running back room, but the offensive line also underachieved in 2025. Will another year of maturity work wonders for that group or do they have to hit the portal hard for some answers?
While every team has some question marks in the portal and NIL era, those are bigger questions than many Texas fans had hoped for going into this offseason. It will be essential for Sarkisian and crew to find those answers for the questions, and quickly.
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