Arch Manning 'not really worried about the outside world'

TAMPA, Fla. — Arch Manning’s goal coming out of the 2025 season and entering his second campaign as QB1 on the Forty Acres was simple.

“Stay present,” Manning said while making the rounds at SEC Media Days in Tampa on Thursday. “Take it one day at a time.”

For Manning, who was under a white-hot spotlight before he ever took a snap in a Texas uniform, that’s easier said than done. Still, Manning has grown while learning how to deal with life in a fishbowl ahead of what figures to be his last season with the Longhorns.

He believes it’s the biggest difference between the player he is now and who Manning was before leading No. 1-ranked Texas into last season’s opening game on the road against reigning national champion Ohio State.

“I think I've become more present,” Manning said. “I've obviously matured. I think going through those rough times, I learned a lot about myself and I've become a better man because of it and, hopefully, a better player.”

Manning joked that he isn’t aiming for a repeat performance against the Buckeyes, when he threw for 170 yards, one touchdown and an interception on a 17-for-30 afternoon throwing the football in a 14-7 loss. The loss was part of a turbulent first half of the season for Manning, whose play inspired an article published by "The Athletic" openly pondering if Manning was college football’s first flop.

After a 16-13 overtime win over Kentucky in which the offense posted season-low totals for total yards (179), yards per play (3.3) and first downs (eight), Manning was, statistically, one of the least productive quarterbacks in the SEC. His 207 passing yards per game entering the team’s next game against Mississippi State ranked 71st nationally and 13th in the SEC among 16 qualifying quarterbacks. He also ranked 91st in FBS and last in the conference in completion percentage (60.3), while his 140.4 pass efficiency rating ranked 63rd nationally and 11th in the SEC.

Things changed, however, after Manning led a furious second-half rally in a 45-38 overtime win over Mississippi State the week following the woeful performance against the Wildcats.

In November, which included wins over Vanderbilt, Arkansas and Texas A&M (along with a loss to Georgia), Diego Pavia and Trinidad Chambliss were the only SEC quarterbacks with more passing yards per game than Manning's 286.8. Over the last four games of the regular season, Manning completed 62.2 percent of his passes and tied Chambliss for the third-most passing touchdowns among SEC quarterbacks (nine) while throwing only one interception.

Coming off a turnover-free performance with 376 total yards and four touchdowns in a Citrus Bowl win over Michigan and fully recovered from postseason foot surgery, Manning isn’t changing his live-in-the-now mindset in the face of sky-high expectations.

“I'm not really worried about the outside world,” Manning said. “That's what I'll continue to try to do.”