Brian Kelly blames Steve Sarkisian for Arch Manning's struggles

Arch Manning has struggled this season for the Texas Longhorns.

Many expected him to be a Heisman Trophy candidate. Many have talked about him as the presumptive No. 1 overall pick of the 2027 NFL Draft.

Instead, Texas is a disappointing 4-2, considering the expectations, and Manning has thrown for just 1,295 yards and 11 touchdowns with five interceptions. His average passer rating of 145.24 is ninth among all SEC quarterbacks. His completion percentage of 63.9 is 10th.

He's had three costly turnovers in the last two games, which, not coincidentally, were losses to Oklahoma and Florida. It's not been good, and redshirt freshman KJ Lacey Jr. is reportedly getting more reps with the first team in practice as a result.

It's not all Manning's fault, though. That's at least according to longtime head coach-turned-commentator Brian Kelly, who placed some blame at the feet of Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian.

“I think it’s on the play-caller,” Kelly said on SiriusXM (h/t On3). “I think the play-caller takes a lot of the responsibility. Look, he’s your quarterback. They’re not going back. I mean, they’re not going to bench him unless there’s just a total meltdown. Look, Josh Heupel is doing it at Tennessee, playing great defense, running the football, and … he’s played two redshirt freshman quarterbacks, and so you can’t tell me that you can’t fit this offense to Arch Manning.”