A few weeks ago, the cover of the upcoming EA College Football 26 video game was leaked on social media. Surprisingly, neither Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian nor starting quarterback Arch Manning was included in the group of players, coaches, and mascots in the image.
The reason it was such a surprise for people is that when Manning was just a freshman, before he had ever played a snap for the Longhorns, he announced he had signed an NIL deal with Electronic Arts (EA).
Not to mention, former Texas QB1 Quinn Ewers was one of just three players on the cover of the 2025 edition of the game, alongside Colorado's Travis Hunter and Michigan's Donovan Edwards.
The leaked cover includes coaches like Ohio State's Ryan Day, mascots like the Oregon Duck, and players like Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams. So, where are Manning and Sarkisian? Turns out, the two Longhorns chose not to go to Pasadena for the cover photoshoot.
While speaking at the Houston Touchdown Club on Monday, April 28, Sarkisian shared that he and the young quarterback chose not to attend the photoshoot at UCLA's Rose Bowl Stadium.
So, as it currently stands, unless EA redoes the entire cover, there will not be any members of the Texas football program on the cover, not even the mascot lovingly nicknamed 'Hook'Em.'
A lot of fans were looking forward to seeing Manning featured on the cover of their newest video game, but luckily for Longhorn Nation, their quarterback and coach are focused on football games, not video games.