Texas will keep it simple with quarterback Arch Manning this spring as sixth-year coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns gear up for a pivotal 2026 season as one of college football’s national championship frontrunners.
Manning, a redshirt junior sitting near the top of the preseason Heisman list, will be limited to start after offseason foot surgery as Texas opens spring drills Monday.
In a new interview with Chip Brown of Horns247, Cooper Manning said his son suffered the foot injury in 2024 — when Arch was a backup to Quinn Ewers and saw action as a run threat and spot starter. Cooper said Arch’s ailment worsened during the Longhorns’ 17-7 win at Texas A&M in November during a first-quarter touchdown run.
Facing a 4th-and-2 situation, the quarterback planted near the sideline to maintain his balance and stay in play en route to the end zone for the game’s first points. That foot pain persisted throughout the 2025 season as QB1, but Manning didn’t miss time.
“The injury was something that had been bothering him all year,” Cooper Manning told Chip Brown of Horns247 this week. “He’d been doing therapy for it, and I think he kind of aggravated it in the Texas A&M game the year before on that (15-yard) touchdown run he had (in 2024). So, he’d been doing therapy on it all year, and finally just said, ‘Look, I want to go ahead and just get this thing fixed and not have to worry about it anymore.’
“So he feels good. He’s out of the boot, walking, doing some throwing, and excited to get back to full speed. When that is, I’m not sure. He’s just following the doctor’s orders. But he’s getting in the groove, and his exposure to spring ball will only increase as we get more toward the spring game (on April 18).”
Here’s the play where Manning initially aggravated his foot injury.
Despite playing through pain last season in his first year as the Longhorns’ full-time starter, Manning finished with 3,163 yards passing, 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also rushed for 399 yards and 10 scores, including another touchdown run vs. the Aggies and then a seismic showing during the bowl win over Michigan, where Manning rushed for a career-best 155 yards and two scores on the ground.
Our top-ranked quarterback in the SEC this spring, Manning would’ve likely have been a first-round pick in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft had he decided to declare after his redshirt sophomore season.
“Arch Manning has sort of been the antithesis of the warp-speed, get me instant gratification approach to the quarterback position,” Brown said on CBS Sports HQ in December after Manning announced his return. “He wanted to go to a school where he’d sit and learn for a couple years in Steve Sarkisian’s offense waiting for Quinn Ewers to finish his time as a Longhorn and he’s comfortable getting experience over the four years.
“His uncles, Peyton and Eli, both four-year guys in college. He wants that full, second season as a starter so he can continue to hone his craft and sharpen his skills.”
Manning helped the Longhorns win 10 games last fall, including nine in the regular season. Texas fell just short of reaching the CFP for a third consecutive campaign despite a 5-1 record over the second half of the season, fueled by Manning’s development.
Over his final six starts prior to the postseason, Manning engineered two overtime wins, a blowout of Arkansas, a 34-31 win over nationally-ranked Vanderbilt and another victory over Texas A&M, highlighted by 15 total touchdowns during that stretch.
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