Arch Manning enters the 2025 season with sky-high expectations as he steps into his first year as Texas’s starting quarterback. While it may feel like the world’s weight is on his shoulders, one analyst recently revealed that head coach Steve Sarkisian’s offense is built to ease that pressure, particularly on third downs.
Why Arch Manning Could Thrive on Third Down in Sarkisian’s Offense
Sarkisian is regarded as one of college football’s top offensive minds. He began his Division I coaching career in 2001 as USC’s quarterbacks coach, where he helped Carson Palmer win the Heisman Trophy in 2002.
After several other coaching stops, Sarkisian returned to USC as head coach in 2015 and later served as Alabama’s offensive coordinator in 2016, 2019, and 2020. During his final season in Tuscaloosa, he led the nation’s top passing offense in terms of total yards, which helped pave the way for his hiring at Texas ahead of the 2021 season.
Steve Sarkisian’s offensive prowess has been evident since arriving at Texas. In 2024, the Longhorns ranked No. 14 nationally in passing yards per game, and with Manning set to take over in 2025, Sarkisian’s scheme should position him for early success.
Sarkisian’s offense features constant pre-snap motion, designed to help quarterbacks read coverages and keep defenses off balance. On the “On Texas Football” podcast, Texas insider Rod Babers said the system should take pressure off Arch Manning, especially in third-down passing situations.
“That’s Sark’s offense in a nutshell,” Babers said. “Just combining a lot of cheat codes and hacks, and on third down, my argument would probably be more of those. More motions, more targets to motion.”
No quarterback in the country faces more pressure heading into the 2025 season than Manning. As the nephew of NFL legends Eli and Peyton Manning and a former No. 1 overall recruit, expectations have followed him every step of the way.
Now entering his first season as the starting quarterback at a powerhouse program that has waited two years for him to take the reins, the pressure is immense. That kind of spotlight can be overwhelming for any young player.
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But as Babers pointed out, Sarkisian’s scheme is designed to create easy reads and manageable throws, especially on crucial third downs. If Manning can execute in those moments, he will quiet the critics. If not, Texas fans may grow impatient fast.
Sarkisian’s system is definitely quarterback-friendly and should make Manning’s first season as a college starter much easier than it would be under most other coaches in the country.
