AUSTIN — Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Monday that quarterback Arch Manning has had a great fall camp. The Longhorns open the season against Texas State on Saturday, Sept. 5, at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.
Manning was restricted during spring practice as he recovered from foot surgery, which Texas announced on Jan. 23 as a minor, preventative procedure for a prior injury.
He participated in specific 7-on-7 sessions and position drills during the spring but did not partake in Texas’s open practice instead of a spring game. Fall camp, starting in early August, marked his first prolonged period of full practice with the 2026 receiving group.
“He’s had a great camp, and I’m really pumped about it,” Sarkisian said. “I’m excited for him, I think he’s going to play very well. We got two more weeks to continue to sharpen up. But I’m very excited for where he’s at and what type of camp he’s had.”
Arch Manning’s Second Season As Texas’ Full-Time Starter
Manning completed 248 of 404 passes for 3,163 yards with 26 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in 2025, his first season as the full-time starter. He ran for 399 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Over the final eight games of the season, he threw 15 touchdown passes with 2 interceptions. His 3,163 passing yards rank 10th in program history, and his 26 touchdown passes rank sixth.
Texas finished 10-3 and missed the College Football Playoff. In the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, Manning ran 60 yards for the touchdown that sealed the win over Michigan.
The Longhorns had been ranked first in the preseason Associated Press poll and finished 12th. Manning is a redshirt junior who has appeared in 25 games with 15 starts and is 12-3 as a starter.
In July, he was named to the preseason watch lists for the Davey O’Brien Award and the Maxwell Award.
Texas Longhorns Camp Notes Before The Texas State Opener
Texas held the second scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday. Sarkisian said Manning started the day a little bit inefficiently, the same way he had started the first scrimmage a week earlier, and that he finished with two touchdown passes in a competitive situation late in the session. Ryan Wingo was among the receivers who caught a touchdown in the scrimmage.
Wingo led Texas in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns last season with 54 catches for 834 yards and 7 scores. He was a second-team All-SEC selection and had wrist surgery in the offseason.
Manning was one of six Longhorns who had a procedure after the season, a group that also included left tackle Trevor Goosby.
The Longhorns open the season No. 5 in the Associated Press preseason poll and No. 4 in the US LBM Coaches Poll. On Aug. 19, the SEC announced 11 Texas players on the preseason Coaches All-SEC team.
Kickoff against Texas State is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN. The programs have met once, in 1930, when Texas won 36-0. Ohio State visits Austin on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC in a rematch of last season’s opener, which Ohio State won 14-7.
Texas closes nonconference play against UTSA on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. CT on SEC Network+, then opens SEC play at Tennessee on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 11 a.m. CT.
