The Texas Longhorns have experienced a rocky start to the 2025 season. This has led to speculation about what's going on with quarterback Arch Manning.
While Manning seemed to bounce back against Oklahoma last week, there are still doubts about playing through an injury.
FOX Sports analyst Matt Leinart became the latest to weigh in, offering his perspective on Manning's season at the midway point. During a recent appearance on Pardon My Take, the former USC star explained why the hype came too early for the nephew of Peyton and Eli.
“I was guilty of it too,” Leinart said. “Jumping on the bandwagon so fast. It wasn’t his fault. I feel bad because the expectations — again, at the end of the day, you play quarterback. He’s making millions of dollars there. It is what it is. He hasn’t played a lot of football this year.”
Manning’s numbers haven’t been disastrous, but just not impressive. Through six games, he’s completing 63 percent of his passes for 1,317 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions, while adding 194 rushing yards and five more scores. Texas still sits at 4-2 and the offensive inconsistency has prompted questions about Manning's ability to be efficient.
If he's not injured, could it be an issue with mechanics?
MORE: Arch Manning had no clue about The Athletic diss— until now
The speculation began after Texas’ Week 2 win over San Jose State, when Manning appeared to grimace while throwing. Coming off a 14-7 loss to Ohio State, where defensive coordinator Matt Patricia’s unit rattled the young quarterback, some suggested he might be playing through pain. His awkward footwork and occasional sidearm throws only fueled those theories.
“I wonder if he’s hurt at all, dealing with anything,” Leinart said. “It didn’t look right a couple weeks in a row there. Again, I don’t know what’s going on in that locker room, but the kid’s going to be fine.”
That doesn’t look right pic.twitter.com/1JUk181BOJ
— Brooks Austin (@BrooksAustinBA) September 7, 2025
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian has repeatedly denied any injury concerns, even joking in September, “I’ve never filmed any of you guys when you’re using the restroom. So, I don’t know what faces you make when you’re doing that.”
Manning was not listed on this week’s injury report for the Kentucky game, indicating he should be healthy and ready to go. As the weeks fly by to the end of the season, we'll get a clear indication about whether or not Texas is a contender. They're not completely out of the College Football Playoff picture, but will have to string together wins over three ranked opponents, including No. 4 Texas A&M and No. 9 Georgia.
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