Jeff Howe

That’s it for Arch and for today’s player availability.

Arch said he probably wasn’t ready to play his freshman year. He said getting to sit back and watch helped a lot now that he’s the starter.

“I said it because it’s true,” Manning said about why he said he doesn’t deserve to be in the Heisman discussion at SEC Media Days. Arch said he’s ready to go out on the field and prove himself.

He said something to the effect of feeling it was time for a change.

Arch echoed what Sark said yesterday, that procedurally, the offense has been much better before the snap recently compared to earlier in camp.

Arch said he been dreaming about the opportunity he has right now, and he wants to take advantage of it.

“I’m not a guy who seeks the media,” Manning said. “No offense, guys.”

We’ve been told we’re getting Arch Manning. We’re waiting on QB1 to arrive.

“He’s looking really good,” Taaffe said of Derek Williams’ return from injury. “He’s definitely gained the coaches’ trust.”

“There’s days when we think we really good, and we get absolutely burned,” Taaffe said when asked about the wideouts and defensive backs helping each other get better.

Taaffe said he was on FaceTime calls with Jahdae Barron and Andrew Mukuba over the weekend. He said both are having fun, but they’ve let him know how tough NFL training camp can be.

Taaffe said Xavier Filsame has been doing “really, really well.” Growing mentally has allows his athletic ability to shine, Taaffe said.

“Sure it can,” Taaffe said when asked if the 2025 defense can be better than the 2024 defense. Texas lost a lot, but the returners being a year older along with what the Longhorns, Taaffe said the defense can be elite again.

He just cares about ball and that’s really it,” Taaffe said when asked about Arch Manning is handling the pressure he’s under going into the season.

Michael Taaffe said watching the guys who were leaders and guys trying to emulate what Sam Ehlinger, Roschon Johnson, DeMarvion Overshown and Jaylan Ford (among others) has helped Texas form a strong leadership core that’s carried over from one season to the next.

“I wouldn’t say won, but I think we were really physical and won at the line of scrimmage,” Hill said on how the defensive performed in the scrimmages.

“I know he’s going to back it up and be ready to go.” — Hill on Colin Simmons

Hill said as long as the defense is playing physical and smart, he can live with the results.

Jamel Thompson, for sure.

Texas went with some three-safety looks. The difference for me, though, is how often Emeka Egbuka came up big when Ohio State needed a big catch in that game. Can Tate and/or Inniss be that kind of target for Sayin? I don't know if that'll be the case right out of the gate.

Bobby is onto something, especially when remembering that when DJ Campbell missed practice time early in camp (before Cojoe was injured), they moved Robertson up to the first team and slid Cole Hutson to right guard. It's safe to assume Robertson is in the group of eight guys every O-line coach wants to count on going into a season. Cojoe was trending to be one of those eight before his injury. Does tinkering with Neto at tackle have more to do with how the staff feels about Goosby's injury or something they didn't like from Chatman after reviewing the film? That's my question. It's also possible that Nick Brooks is physically ready to be the No. 3 tackle, but maybe they're trying to find the best veteran option so they don't have to put a true freshman out there if needed against Ohio State.

Malik Muhammad has a chance to make some money on Aug. 30.

AUSTIN, Texas — There was a method to Steve Sarkisian’s madness when the Texas coach embarked on a mission to challenge Malik Muhammad ahead of the team’s second camp scrimmage. “I purposely went after him with a couple of different things,” Sarkisian said after the scrimmage. “For him to play the way that he played gave me more confidence than I've had, and I have a lot in him. Today was very, very encouraging on that front.” Muhammad, a veteran cornerback with 18 starts in 30 career games, will begin the 2025 season with arguably the toughest assignment he’ll face as a junior whenever he has to cover Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith. Smith was limited to one reception for three yards on Jan. 10, when the Buckeyes’ 28-14 triumph in the Cotton Bowl ended the Longhorns’ season one game shy of the College Football Playoff National Championship. “It was a team effort,” Muhammad said earlier in camp about what it took for Texas to hold Smith to his lowest statistical output and his lowest single-game grade from Pro Football Focus during his remarkable true freshman season. The Longhorns had Smith’s number in Arlington. Still, Sarkisian, who didn’t mention Smith or any other Ohio State wide receivers by name while detailing what Muhammad went through last week, knows coach Ryan Day and offensive coordinator Brian Hartline will be looking to get the 6-foot-3-inch, 223-pound Smith (76 receptions 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns, which established new freshman records for a Buckeye) involved early and often. The occasions when Muhammad finds himself one-on-one with Smith should be few and far between. That’s not a knock on the 6-foot, 188-pound Muhammad, who Pro Football Focus touts as the sixth-best returning cornerback in the country. Texas should do whatever it takes to limit the times Smith faces man coverage because he destroyed opponents in those situations last season. According to PFF, Smith’s 90.6 grade against man coverage was second among FBS wide receivers (minimum of 13 targets), recording 25 receptions for 384 yards and four touchdowns on 32 targets with a near-perfect NFL passer rating when targeted (156.3). Smith also averaged 4.09 yards per route run (sixth in FBS) with an average depth of target of 11.1 yards, indicating that if Will Howard could correctly identify that Smith was facing man coverage, the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruit in 2024 would be turned loose, and Ohio State could hunt chunk-yardage plays (Smith caught 12 passes last season that traveled 20 yards or more down the field, racking up 467 yards and scoring four touchdowns, recording a near-perfect PFF grade of 99.9 when targeted on deep throws). Julian Sayin, who was named Ohio State’s starting quarterback on Monday, shouldn’t be expected to decipher what Pete Kwiatkowski is throwing at him in his first career start. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen how much Kwiatkowski and Duane Akina alternate between playing man and zone in the opener. That has more to do with trusting the communication that the secondary has worked to rebuild in the wake of losing Jahdae Barron and Andrew Mukuba than anything else. At the same time, an effective pass rush could make life on the back end much more manageable if the Longhorns can routinely pressure Sayin. Although Smith was good last season against zone, catching 43 passes for 783 yards and nine touchdowns, shading coverage to his side of the field and devoting more resources to him, in general, is the path of least resistance. Elevated to the No. 2 wide receiver, with Emeka Egbuka out of eligibility, Carnell Tate was much better against zone last season (a season-long PFF grade of 73.7) than when working against man coverage (59.1). While it’s risky for Texas to let its defensive backs handle Tate, Brandon Inniss and the other Buckeye receiving threats more often in one-on-one situations, Muhammad and the other Longhorn defensive backs should be ready for what they’ll see inside the Horseshoe in 12 days. View full news story