Jeff Howe

Very happy that you made your way over here! It’s an exciting time to be a Longhorn and an OTF member!

AUSTIN, Texas — Even though Texas couldn’t go through a fully padded camp practice until Tuesday, developing and maintaining a physical edge and playing with high levels of physical and mental toughness were arguably the primary themes of the Longhorns’ first five practices. Steve Sarkisian referenced physicality or toughness 13 times in the opening statement of his post-practice media availability on Monday. For a coach who likes to point out that you get what you emphasize, Sarkisian knows the kind of team Texas has to be to get where it wants to be in 2026. “There's a mindset to it that this team, maybe, better than some other teams, have really embraced that mindset,” Sarkisian said. “I think that's a credit to the coaches, as we touched on that first practice, that they've got these guys buying into the physicality of which we need to play the game. Our players aren't naive to the schedule that we have and the teams that we're going to play and that physicality is going to be required to have the type of team in the season that we want to have.” — If physicality hasn’t been the main theme of the first week of camp, it might be that Sarkisian and the Longhorns are getting back to basics. Whether it’s something as significant as starting the program’s Culture Wednesday meetings in the spring instead of the summer, or moving players into the dorms on campus for camp, Sarkisian is taking the steps he feels are necessary for Texas to consistently play the fast, physical, smart and tough brand of football he sought to bring to the Forty Acres when he was hired in 2021. While describing the process the Longhorns are going through to put that kind of product on the field, Sarkisian delivered one of his most profound statements of the offseason. “When I think about the style of play in which we want to play the game and that we have to recreate it every year,” Sarkisian said. “It just doesn't happen.” Although it hurt everyone in the program to miss out on a third consecutive trip to the College Football Playoff, in hindsight, it might’ve been the best thing to happen to Sarkisian and the program. Along with using the transfer portal window to turn the roster and put together a championship-caliber squad, the time between the team’s triumph over Texas A&M in the regular-season finale and its Citrus Bowl win over Michigan forced Sarkisian to take a long look at what changes had to be made to get Texas back on the path toward a championship. So far, Sarkisian’s changes to the coaching staff, the program’s offseason structure and what he, as the leader of the organization, had to fix to be better in 2026 have benefitted the organization. — Leadership doesn’t form during camp so much as it crystallizes. The best news in that regard is that Arch Manning continues to let his authentic voice and leadership style evolve, which is a big part of him taking the next step in the hierarchy of college football quarterbacks. “Arch loves football. He loves to practice. He loves to work. It's funny because Arch probably talks a little more shit than people give him credit for outside of our building, so in practice there's a good amount of banter that goes on,” Sarkisian said. “Now, Arch has more confidence.” It’s hard to be the kind of leader a quarterback needs to be when he isn’t confident. It’s also hard for said quarterback to be confident when he isn’t playing well. Manning has done a 180 in that regard, fighting through some forgettable performances in the first half of last season to end his 2025 campaign playing as well as any quarterback in the country. It’s fun to think about the jawing back and forth between Manning and Colin Simmons that Sarkisian described on Monday. What Sarkisian’s words said about where Manning’s confidence and comfort levels are ahead of the season, however, shouldn’t be lost while taking delight in the head coach dropping an unexpected expletive during a press conference. View full news story

He played before 1992.

If you're going to target a non-autographed Arch card in a Texas uniform, I think this is the one. The fact that it's his first licensed card could carry a lot more weight than whatever Panini is going to put out until Arch turns pro.

I couldn't be happier that talking season is almost over.

I've seen some of Bobby's collection. I was VERY impressed, to say the least.

I was told a Power Four head coach once asked Mike Leach (who was making the rounds between his time at Texas Tech and Washington State) about how you coach accuracy. The conversation went something like this... Coach: "What drills do you do to coach accuracy?" Leach: "What?" Coach: "How do you coach accuracy?" Leach: "Recruit better."

FWIW, 1992 was also the first year Division I teams had to operate with the 85-scholarship limit.

I saw Brendan coming in and out of Moncrief working out during the spring and summer more than once. Good dude.

Yes he did.

One of my favorite Sports Illustrated covers:

And could outdo Mickey Mantle after hours. A well-rounded badass.

Yep. More than one thing can be true.

He tried to ruin the movie Rudy and I think he's overrated. I'd take Elway or Marino over Montana in a heartbeat.

Yep. Norm Chow and Matt Leinart have both been on the record stating that they expected Leinart to be the pick.

At the end, yes, but I wonder how much the daily grind of being an NFL quarterback was beaten out of him by that point.

It’s official: I’m ready to jump on the Justus Terry hype train.

Another part of the equation here is Sark having a better feel for what Arch likes and what helps get him in rhythm. It’s no coincidence that Sark’s opening scripts were much more effective as the year went on, coinciding with Arch’s growth.

PFF has him down for two from that depth.

This is an area where Arch and Cam Coleman can grow together. Coleman had three drops on short passes last season (0-9 yards down the field), which was tied for the second-most in the SEC.

AUSTIN, Texas — Those wondering how Arch Manning’s first day of Texas camp went didn’t have to wait long to find out. “I thought Arch had a good day,” Steve Sarkisian said after the Longhorns wrapped up Wednesday’s practice. Five minutes into his post-practice press conference, Sarkisian was asked which Longhorns, in his opinion, stood out in the team’s first official practice, held at Denius Fields with 31 days to go until the Sept. 5 season opener against Texas State. Manning’s name was the first out of Sarkisian’s mouth. “I've seen a lot of rough quarterback days (on the) first day of practice,” Sarkisian said. “The defenses have seen all of these same plays, I feel like, all summer long. I thought he looked good.” If Manning can be efficient, successfully build a rapport with the revamped Texas wide receiver and offensive line groups (making up for time he missed while recovering from foot surgery in the spring), continue to protect the football and find ways to create explosive plays, it’ll be a successful camp for the redshirt junior. While checking the boxes next to those items on the to-do list, Manning needs to make strides to elevate his game and the offense as a whole is making his layups, as Sarkisian calls them. According to Pro Football Focus, Manning was one of the least effective quarterbacks in the SEC when throwing the ball up to nine yards down the field. Of the 20 SEC quarterbacks who attempted at least 30 passes from a depth of 0-9 yards last season, Manning ranked last in yards per pass attempt (5.3), posted the fourth-worst completion percentage (69.2) and threw for the fifth-fewest yards (624). The Longhorns’ improvement in the short passing game isn’t squarely on Manning’s shoulders. Only 28.7 percent of Manning’s pass attempts last season came within the area of the field that PFF defines as a short pass (Georgia’s Gunner Stockton was the only SEC quarterback with a lower percentage on at least 30 attempts). Still, Manning’s 10 percent drop percentage (nine drops on short pass attempts) was the fifth-highest in the SEC; Manning threw just one interception and was charged with only two turnover-worthy plays on short passes. Among 17 SEC quarterbacks who attempted at least 30 passes behind the line of scrimmage in 2025, Manning’s PFF passing grade (72.6) was the fifth-best in the conference. That’s also where Manning's grade on intermediate throws (10-19 yards down the field) was, with an 89.5 putting him just outside the top quarter of SEC quarterbacks. One of the top Power Four quarterbacks last season on deep throws (a PFF grade of 91.5 on attempts of 20 yards or more down the field was the fourth-best in the SEC among the 14 quarterbacks who threw at least 30 deep balls), the short game is the passing depth where Manning noticeably struggled to find his footing last season. To that end, Sarkisian would be surprised if that part of Manning’s game isn’t markedly better in 2026. “I think that he's put in a lot of work and I've seen the progress that's been made by him, and that's a credit to him and the time and effort he's put into this thing,” Sarkisian said. “My goal and hope for him is that he just does what I've been watching him do because I think if he can take that next step, we know the big-play potential is there. “Like I say, making your layups is huge.” View full news story