Urban Meyer, the three-time national championship-winning head coach, says he no longer sees the quarterback play out of Arch Manning that briefly electrified Texas fans last month. Speaking on OutKick’s “Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich,” Meyer said Manning has regressed after a strong second half against Ohio State, and that the Longhorns are now at a turning point with two straight losses behind them.
“It’s hard to believe we’re here,” Meyer said. “His second half against Ohio State, particularly the last two drives, that looked like the guy that everybody talked about. He was phenomenal. But he’s gone backwards.”
Meyer noted that last season Texas lacked top-tier wide receiver talent, which he viewed as a reasonable explanation for Manning’s struggles against stronger opponents. This year, with Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo both on the roster, Meyer said that excuse no longer holds — and he believes a quarterback change should be on the table.
He pointed to a Michigan example as a precedent for how a switch can pay off immediately. “You saw coach Kyle Whittingham make the change at quarterback. Instant spark. They beat Penn State. We all know if they don’t make that change, they lose to Penn State. So, I think they’re at that inflection point right now,” Meyer said.
Backup quarterback KJ Lacey Jr. has reportedly been taking more first-team practice reps, and Meyer said head coach Steve Sarkisian needs to start pulling reps from Manning to force the issue.
“You got to start giving that guy reps and then at that point, it’s going to be a really really difficult decision if he’s going to make that decision to make a change, because I’m really worried about Texas. They look awful,” Meyer said.
The pressure comes after Texas’s loss to Florida on Saturday, which dropped the Longhorns from No. 12 to No. 19 in the latest AP Top 25 poll. The schedule offers no reprieve: Texas faces No. 7 Ole Miss on Saturday night.
