Texas Longhorns Star Quarterback Arch Manning Is Embracing the 2025 Season With a Championship Mentality and Unshakable Confidence

Arch Manning is done being a footnote. No more riding the coattails of a legendary last name, no more questions about whether he can live up to the expectations that have loomed since middle school. No more whispers behind his back or tweets wondering why the “Manning” isn’t already running college football. The 2025 season is here, and Arch Manning is stepping into it with laser focus, steely resolve, and a mentality that screams: it’s finally his time.

When he arrived in Austin, the buzz around Arch was deafening. The No. 1 overall recruit in the 2023 class, a generational prospect with Peyton’s polish and Eli’s cool under pressure, he was hailed as Texas’ quarterback savior. Yet, in his first two seasons, he was more apprentice than architect. He watched, learned, and waited behind Quinn Ewers, who guided Texas to the College Football Playoff and earned his place as a school legend.

But now Ewers is off to the NFL, and the spotlight squarely belongs to No. 16.

And Arch? He’s not blinking.

“This is what I came to Texas for,” Manning said during media availability this summer. “I didn’t come here to ride the bench or to be talked about because of my last name. I came here to win.”

By all accounts, he means business. Coaches and teammates alike have noted a noticeable shift in Manning’s demeanor throughout spring camp and into summer workouts. What was once a quiet, patient learner has evolved into a commanding leader—one who’s staying late after practice, running additional throwing sessions with his receivers, and obsessively breaking down game film.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian has praised Manning’s offseason growth not just in mechanics but in maturity.

“Arch has taken total control of this team,” Sarkisian said. “His preparation has been elite. He’s locked in—on and off the field. You can see it in how he talks to his teammates. You can feel it in the way he commands the offense.”

It’s easy to forget Manning’s journey hasn’t been as smooth or immediate as some expected. At many schools, a recruit of his caliber might’ve started right away. But at Texas, he respected the process. He didn’t transfer. He didn’t demand anything. He put his head down and worked. In an era where top players hop schools the moment they don’t get what they want, Manning’s patience has been nothing short of remarkable.

Now that he’s the man, he’s approaching the role with an “excellent mentality,” as multiple Texas staffers have put it.

“He’s not here to be flashy or prove Twitter wrong,” Texas offensive coordinator Kyle Flood said. “Arch is about football, team, and legacy. That’s it.”

Legacy is a word that hangs heavy around the Manning name. With grandfather Archie a New Orleans Saints icon, uncles Peyton and Eli both Super Bowl MVPs, and a family tree rooted in football greatness, Arch has never escaped the pressure. But for the first time, it feels like he’s embracing it.

He’s not running from the name. He’s ready to define what it means for himself.

And that definition might start with championships. Texas enters the 2025 season with a loaded roster and legitimate national title aspirations. The Longhorns’ offensive line is among the best in the country. Their receiver corps—led by speedster Johntay Cook II and the towering Isaiah Neyor—is elite. Defensively, they’re fast, physical, and ferocious.

In other words, the pieces are there. The only missing ingredient last season was consistency at the quarterback position late in big games. Now, the belief around the program is that Manning’s poise and football IQ can be the difference.

“He sees the field like a coach,” said Texas center Connor Robertson. “It’s crazy. He’ll call out blitzes before they happen. He’s already operating like an NFL guy.”

Manning’s arm strength has always been there. But what’s impressed the most this offseason is how he’s refined the finer details—his footwork, his pre-snap reads, and especially his leadership. Players say he’s the first to lift others up after a dropped pass and the first to hold someone accountable when focus slips. That balance of empathy and edge is rare in young quarterbacks, but Arch seems to have mastered it.

The mental side of his game has been the biggest leap.

“I think the game’s just slowing down for me,” Manning said. “When you first get here, everything’s moving at a million miles an hour. But now, I can breathe. I can process. I know the system. I know where I want to go with the football.”

What makes this even more intriguing is the pressure. Manning isn’t easing into a rebuilding year. He’s inheriting a team expected to contend from Day 1, with a fan base hungry for hardware and a new chapter in SEC territory. The Longhorns, now a full-fledged member of the SEC, are diving into college football’s most ruthless conference with a quarterback carrying generational expectations.

If Manning struggles, the critics will pounce. If he thrives, he instantly becomes a Heisman contender and elevates Texas’ brand to unprecedented heights.

And he knows it.

“I’m not going to lie, the pressure’s real,” he admitted. “But pressure’s a privilege. I’d rather have the weight of the world on my shoulders than be sitting on the sidelines wondering what if.”

That mentality—grounded, competitive, unafraid—is what’s turned skeptics into believers around the program. Texas strength coach Torre Becton said he’s never seen a player transform their presence in the weight room and locker room so quickly.

“He’s not just stepping up; he’s setting the standard now,” Becton said. “The whole team’s following his lead.”

One area where Manning has especially grown is off the field. He’s more vocal, more engaged with the community, and more aware of the platform he holds. His NIL value is massive, but he’s approached branding with humility. There are no flashy commercials or over-the-top hype videos. Just a few quiet partnerships and a message of work, grit, and authenticity.

Texas fans are buying in, too. Arch Manning jerseys are flying off the shelves in Austin. The student body chants his name at summer seven-on-sevens. Alumni whisper that he could be the one to bring home the Longhorns’ first national title since 2005.

But if you ask Arch, he’s not thinking about legacy just yet. He’s thinking about Week 1.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” he said. “We’ve got to earn every snap, every win. Nothing’s guaranteed just because my last name’s Manning.”

It’s that hunger—more than the name, more than the skill—that has Texas buzzing heading into the season. Arch Manning isn’t just quarterbacking a football team. He’s leading a movement.

And with the mentality he’s bringing into the 2025 season, there’s a growing belief in Austin that something special is on the horizon. Something worthy of the name.

Because this fall, Arch Manning isn’t stepping into the spotlight. He is the spotlight.