Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte isn’t hitting the panic button on Arch Manning. Speaking with CBS Sports ahead of tonight’s matchup with No. 7 Ole Miss, Del Conte put it plainly: “Rome is not burning,” as first reported by ClutchPoints.
How Texas Got Here
The Longhorns are 4-2 and 1-2 in SEC play. Both losses were by the same 27-24 score, first to Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry and then to Florida.
Manning’s numbers through six games aren’t bad on paper: 1,295 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. But the turnovers have come at bad times, and the offense hasn’t been consistent. This is a QB who was once the betting favorite to go No. 1 overall in the 2027 NFL Draft, so every mistake gets magnified.
Del Conte admitted the standard in Austin is sky high. “We all expect to win every single game,” he said, adding that the noise is a lot louder outside the program than inside it.
Not everybody is that patient. Keyshawn Johnson went on Jordan Schultz’s show and said, “I don’t think at the end of the year, that he’ll be the starting quarterback,” per ClutchPoints.
The IAHHM Take
The Manning name comes with a spotlight no 20-something should have to carry, and this season the spotlight is getting hot. Two three-point losses is not a collapse, and the AD is right about that. But he also said the quiet part: at Texas, close losses don’t count for much.
Tonight is the kind of game that changes a narrative. Ole Miss comes to Austin at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC. Win it, and the noise dies down. Lose it with more turnovers, and the Keyshawn takes get a lot louder.
Is Arch the guy, or is the hype finally catching up to him? Let us hear it.
Source: ClutchPoints
