The No. 5-ranked Georgia Bulldogs (8-1, 6-1) play the No. 10 Texas Longhorns from Sanford Stadium on Saturday night in Athens, Ga. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, and the game will air on ABC.
Texas is one of the best teams Georgia has faced this season, and it brings one of the best quarterbacks the Dawgs will see in Arch Manning. The former No. 1 recruit in the 2023 class — and nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning — has produced a solid first year as Texas’ starter. He’s thrown for 18 touchdowns and 2,123 yards while leading the Longhorns to a 7–2 record entering Week 12.
That marks a decent turnaround after a rocky start to 2025. His first few games were rough, including the opener against Ohio State, when he went 17-for-30 for 170 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a 14–7 loss.
Fast forward to Week 12, and Manning has shown improvements, getting better each week. He may not have lived up to the preseason hype, but he’s also been the recipient of unwarranted criticism. Saturday Down South currently has him as the 8th-best quarterback in the SEC, but they actually had him as low as No. 14 at one point.
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Arch Manning’s History With Georgia is Deeper Than College Football Fans Outside of UGA, Texas Realize
Beyond respect for the opponent, 7:30 p.m. ET between the hedges will be personal for players, coaches and fans. Just 3 years ago, most believed Manning would be donning red and black to wrangle the Longhorns, not the other way around.
Kirby Smart and Georgia heavily recruited the Texas quarterback, and Manning showed real interest. He visited Athens multiple times during his recruitment. Even fans joined the push, with UGA’s “Spike Squad” painting “We Want Arch” on their bodies at a game he attended.
Former Georgia wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, who ironically transferred to Texas, even celebrated with Manning after a touchdown.
Kirby Smart has a long relationship with the Manning family, going back to his playing days against Peyton. Georgia’s recent success only strengthened its chances. For a while, it looked like the stars had aligned for UGA to land its next great quarterback.
The Dawgs stayed heavily involved until the very end of the Arch Manning sweepstakes. It eventually became a two-team race. Manning made his decision in the summer of 2022, choosing Texas over Georgia.
Things Worked Out OK for Georgia:
When asked this week about Manning’s recruitment, Smart told the media:
“Our staff got to know him. He came over here a lot and was very honest and had his thoughts about both programs. He liked both programs, he had to pick one.”
As for the Dawgs, things turned out ok. Carson Beck quarterbacked Georgia in 2023 and 2024 before Gunner Stockton took over in 2025.
There’s a very real scenario where Arch Manning could’ve been the one running out on Saturday night with a G on his helmet. Instead, he’ll be trying to beat the program he once seriously considered, the same one that spent years recruiting him. That background alone adds another layer to Georgia vs Texas, making it more than just a top ten SEC matchup.
