ESPN analyst Desmond Howard questions Arch Manning's Texas future
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
ESPN College GameDay analyst Desmond Howard said he doubts Arch Manning and coach Steve Sarkisian are both at Texas in 2027.
Howard's predictions, not reported facts, put the Longhorns' quarterback and coach plans in the spotlight.
Background
Desmond Howard is an ESPN College GameDay analyst who won the Heisman Trophy at Michigan in 1991, played 11 NFL seasons and remains the only special teams player to be named Super Bowl MVP. He has been on the College GameDay desk for the show's 40th season, which Disney highlighted in August 2026. His comments come as Texas quarterback Arch Manning, through eight games, had completed 64.8% of his passes for 1,727 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
How it unfolded
- Aug 28, 2026Disney publishes a College GameDay 40th-season feature in which Howard says he loves still being part of the game he loves.
- Oct 8, 2026Howard criticizes the entire Michigan football program ahead of the Michigan-Oklahoma game; Kirk Herbstreit reacts in "shock" after Howard "abandons" a college football powerhouse.
- Nov 1, 2026Howard picks USC to beat Ohio State, which an article frames as good news for the Buckeyes.
- Nov 6, 2026On The Pat McAfee Show, Howard rekindles the Steve Sarkisian-NFL rumor and predicts Manning likely will not be in Austin in 2027.
Key terms
- Heisman Trophy
- An annual award given since 1935 to the top player in American college football.
- special teams
- The group of players on a football team who play during kicking situations.
- Super Bowl MVP
- An annual award for the most valuable player of the NFL's championship game, the Super Bowl.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- Howard said he is "not sure" Manning will be at Texas a year from now and that Manning "may transfer" if he is not draft-eligible, adding he does not see Manning and Sarkisian together in the 2027 season.
- Caution
- Howard framed the Sarkisian-NFL talk as a rumor he may have raised "a little too early," and his Manning and Sarkisian forecasts are presented as his own predictions rather than reported facts.
Still unverified
Howard's prediction that Manning and Sarkisian will not be together in 2027, and his speculation about a Manning transfer or a Sarkisian NFL job, are his own predictions and questions, not reported facts; the Sarkisian-NFL talk is described as a rumor Howard rekindled.