Calls to fire Steve Sarkisian and bench Arch Manning reach a boiling point in Week 7

After yet another upset loss at the combined hands of head coach Steve Sarkisian and quarterback Arch Manning, the Texas Longhorns' fanbase has reached the end of its patience and is calling for at least one thing to change on offense.

Whether Manning gets benched or Sarkisian finally hands off offensive play-calling (or gets fired), the Horns are past time for something to change, or Texas could find itself flying toward a losing record.

During and after the Longhorns blew their lead and lost the game to the Florida Gators, the calls started growing louder for Manning to be pulled from the game and for Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte to force a change from his head coach.

While addressing the media after the game, even Sarkisian, who is known for sticking by his QB1s no matter how bad it gets, had to admit it was time to re-evaluate just about everything on offense, including who his starting quarterback is.

"We're not playing good offensive football right now, so everything is going to be evaluated," Sarkisian said.

So, if Sarkisian does decide to finally make a change in the backfield, who would be Texas's next option at quarterback?

Who are Texas's backup quarterbacks for Arch Manning?

Luckily for Texas, the Longhorns have done an incredible job of recruiting quarterbacks over the last few years:

• KJ Lacey Jr., redshirt freshman, former four-star recruit
• Dia Bell, true freshman, former five-star recruit

Redshirt freshman and former four-star prospect KJ Lacey Jr. has appeared in just three games over the last season and a half. He has earned 70 passing yards on eight completions (88.9% completion rate), as well as three total rushing yards on two carries.

Dia Bell, a true freshman and former five-star quarterback recruit, has yet to play a snap for the Longhorns, recording zero stats so far.

While neither QB has the experience or last name that Manning does, as of right now, either is honestly looking like the better option for Texas's offense.

What would the Longhorns' buyout look like if they fired Steve Sarkisian?

On the other side of things, there is the conversation of firing Sarkisian.

While Sarkisian is undeniably tanking with one of the best offensive rosters in the country, he isn't going anywhere anytime soon, unless Del Conte wants to shell out the $36.5 million for his buyout before the season ends.

If Texas waits until the end of the season, his buyout drops to $27.5M in 2027, $18.4M in 2028, and just $9.2M in 2029.

The other option is for Sarkisian to finally hire an offensive coordinator he actually trusts enough to hand over the play-calling, something he has refused to do with current OC Kyle Flood, who also leads the Texas offensive line that has looked as shaky as possible through the last six games.

Texas still has six games remaining in the regular season. A change has to happen, and it needs to happen quickly. Whether that be Sarkisian finally benching Manning or handing over the offensive play-calling, only time will tell.

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