Arch Manning's latest media strategy? Say as little as possible after viral controversy

The Texas quarterback has been especially brief with reporters since last week's incident

Sep 22, 2026 at 10:27 am ET • 3 min read

When a star player embarrasses themselves in front of the media, it should come as no surprise when they become a formulaic robot free of personality the next time they're in front of a microphone.

Such is the case with Arch Manning, who handles himself well, all things considered, under the pressure cooker that is being the Texas starting quarterback and now, aims to provide nothing that could result in internet fodder.

Manning has had two availabilities since Steve Sarkisian's decision to blow off a postgame interview left him in a bad spot after the Longhorns' win over Ohio State earlier this month. It resulted in an apology to ESPN reporter Holly Rowe.

His reputation was squeaky clean before laughing at an insensitive AI-generated video depicting violence against women, and he's working to repair those opinions nationally.

Now, talking to Manning is like speaking to Siri with even less feedback.

Manning's been short and sweet his last two trips to the podium, using less than 90 total seconds to answer 24 total questions coming after Saturday's win over UTSA and ahead of this weekend's showdown at Tennessee.

Instead of a window inside the mind of one of college football's top players before his first trip to Knoxville, we're getting a subdued version of Manning who seems uninterested in providing any color the rest of the season.

This is a week overflowing with awesome storylines involving Manning battling his Pro Football Hall of Fame uncle's alma mater for the first time in Texas football history. It's one of a record-setting four nationally ranked matchups within the SEC, a showdown dripping with College Football Playoff and league hierarchy implications.

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But you'll hear none of that from the Heisman candidate, who has pushed his top-ranked team to 3-0 this season with 661 yards passing and seven touchdowns during the first quarter of the campaign.

Blame Sarkisian. Blame reporters. Blame social media for its idiocy.

However, don't blame Manning for checking a box in his job description with zero personality after one answer went awry this month and left him emotionally shielded in front of the press.

This is what we get for trying to be cute by asking a 22-year-old how he felt about a viral video.

Setting the stage in Knoxville 

For Texas, Saturday's SEC opener offers another resume-building opportunity for a program hoping to get back to the CFP after missing out last fall. On the home sideline, Josh Heupel is trying to topple a nationally-ranked opponent inside Neyland Stadium for the sixth time in 12 tries during his tenure with a standout quarterback of his own making his fourth career start.

Heupel complimented Manning and the Texas roster throughout Monday's press conference, but made a point of harping on the Vols blocking out the noise and simply focusing on execution.

"There's more media attention or whatever on this football game. At the end of the day, it's the beginning of conference play," Heupel said. "You've got to understand the quality of the opponent that you're getting ready to play. Saturday will be electric in the stadium, but it comes down to winning each day, your preparation and practicing the right way to give yourself a chance."

During his first season as QB1 last fall, all of Manning's losses came in true road games for Texas -- Ohio State, Florida and Georgia. Saturday's contest marks the first of four games left for the Longhorns against top-25 opponents away from Austin.

Sarkisian said this week that he considers Neyland Stadium "the loudest in the country" and knows that playing with precision is essential to beating the Vols on the road.