Arch Manning’s season has been a mix of promising flashes and costly mistakes, but Texas’ 27–24 loss to Oklahoma has opened a can of worms. The defeat not only ended the Longhorns’ unbeaten run but also intensified scrutiny of Manning’s consistency. Now, Cam Newton believes the transition from their former QB to the new one has been a bit disappointing.

“I would agree to say that the Texas offense was better with Quinn Ewers than what we’ve seen up until this point with Arch,” said Newton on his podcast on October 14. “That’s what I would say. I don’t think that Arch is a top-10 quarterback in the country.”

Arriving from Ohio State as a former five-star, Quinn Ewers had the starting job at Texas for three consecutive seasons. During this period, the Longhorns won a Big 12 title, successfully transitioned to the SEC, and even made to the semifinal of the 2024 CFP. That’s the most success Texas has seen under Steve Sarkisian.

Arch Manning had several starts during the 2024 campaign when Ewers was ruled out due to an injury. Naturally, when he got the starting gig last season, the offense was going to have a different look. This was necessitated by the players Texas lost to the NFL.

Morever, Ewers and Manning are completely different in how they play the position. With Ewers at the helm, Sarkisian’s playbook focused on maximizing his ultra-quick release, drop-back passing, and rhythm throws. With Manning, there is a greater use of QB mobility.

It was always going to take Manning some time to fully develop into his role. The 2025 campaign saw that evolution, as Arch struggled to get going in the first half but eventually found his footing. But Texas didn’t have an effective run game. The O-line was a work in progress, and even the WR room wasn’t as good as the last Ewers’ campaign.

Heading into the 2026 season, Sarkisian was supposed to have resolved these issues. He got Cam Coleman from Auburn and even revitalized the RB room. But the current version of the Texas offense doesn’t pass the eye test. The Longhorns are yet to have a perfect game on offense. They had a perfect quarter against Ohio State, but that’s all Sarkisian has to show for all the hype coming into the campaign.

But winning helped. There was some criticism of the offense after the Tennessee game; however, the Longhorns walked out of Knoxville with a win. The issues probably got sidelined. That didn’t happen in Week 6.

Losing a winning streak against your biggest rivals is enough to infuriate fans, but most of the disappointment has been towards Manning. While he completed 19 of the 31 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns, Manning also had two costly interceptions. A pick-six helped Oklahoma take its first lead, and the second turnover game the Sooners the win. Newton isn’t the only one who questions the caliber of the Texas QB1; even Joel Klatt shared a similar view.

“So you see the ceiling of Arch, but then the floor is really low. And because of that, the entire offense’s floor becomes very, very low,” Klatt said on his show.

“Arch’s ceiling is really high. And yet, the floor, he rolls out right and just wings the ball for a pick-six. You can’t make that decision as a quarterback… They were better on offense with Quinn Ewers. Because Quinn was a fast processor, he had very quick feet and very quick release. It helped them in the run game, and it helped them in the pass game.”

Of course, the buck must stop with the head coach. Texas’ run game is still not at the level it should be, easing some pressure off its passing game. Moreover, the O-line has also been a recurring issue in pass protection. The good thing is that it’s still just one loss. Texas has the time to figure it out. But another season without a CFP appearance, and Texas fans would naturally wonder if they’d like to have Arch Manning back for another year.