Two straight losses have put Arch Manning’s grip on the Texas quarterback job in real doubt. The No. 19 Texas Longhorns gave Manning noticeably fewer practice reps with the starting offense leading up to the Ole Miss game, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Backup quarterback KJ Lacey Jr. picked up the slack.
Thamel stressed that the shift is a contingency plan, not a decision. But he has started to prepare to do that if Arch Manning struggles. Backup KJ Lacey Jr. had a precipitous uptick in first-team reps.” Both defeats ended 27-24, first against Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry and then against Florida.
The Longhorns sit at 4-2 overall and 1-2 in SEC play. Manning has given the ball away through the air and on the ground. He has completed 106 of 166 passes, good for 63.9%, with 1,295 yards, 11 touchdowns, and five interceptions in six games, and he has yet to score on the ground.
Lacey, in his second season with the program, has seen the field sparingly. He threw a single pass in 2025 and has gone 7 of 8 for 63 yards in 2026, with no touchdowns or interceptions. Sarkisian, speaking ahead of the Ole Miss matchup, summed up Manning’s mood in one word: “edgy.” He said he likes it, and that Manning has to “fight back” by playing “really good football” alongside his teammates.
Tom Pelissero added a twist on "The Bill Simmons Podcast." “I texted one person who’s known Arch [Manning] a long time earlier tonight, and I said, ‘Where do you see Arch in 2027?’ And his response was Ole Miss.” That’s the team Manning faces next, as the No. 7 Rebels visit Austin on Oct. 24 for a 7:30 p.m. Sarkisian has kept Manning as the starter for the game, though a third SEC loss would likely knock Texas out of the Playoff and conference title race.
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