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Arch Manning 2026 season at Texas has far underperformed what many expected out of a potential top-10 draft pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. Ryan Leaf speaks with Craig Carton about Manning’s season so far.
On the same day that the University of Texas athletic department announced a brand new artificial intelligence lab on its campus called the ‘Bevo Lab‘, some fans are wondering if Steve Sarkisian is using AI to call plays on offense.
The situation in Austin around what’s taking place within the football program has been interesting, to say the least.
Whether it’s the offensive scheme that comes from head coach Steve Sarkisian or the underwhelming play from quarterback Arch Manning, this has all led to frustration from Texas fans after consecutive losses to unranked teams.
On Friday, the school announced that is has created a state-of-the-art facility on campus that brings artificial intelligence to the forefront of decision making and daily activities that consume the life of an athletic staff.
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A brand new 25,000-square-foot AI lab will now be the home to some of the more innovative decisions that coaches are making to better help serve their teams at Texas.
Head Coach Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns looks on during the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Sept. 26, 2026
So, did Steve Sarkisian use AI like a game of Madden to call fourth down play?
Now, with the help of Google, the school has started producing different mechanisms to help with this new era of college athletics, which includes how to deal with revenue-sharing and roster building.
But, when it comes to calling plays for the Longhorns football team, the new venture into artificial intelligence seems to have caused a stir on Friday morning thanks to a report from the Austin-American Statesman.
“In the fourth quarter of last week’s game against Florida at Royal-Memorial Stadium, the Longhorns put the new initiative to use,” the report said. “Down 20-17 and facing a fourth-and-2, Texas needed a spark. So, coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff turned to their new artificial intelligence data analytics platform, Bevo Lab.
“While the Longhorns ultimately failed to convert after quarterback Arch Manning lost three yards on the play, Del Conte said the moment was a pivotal embrace of the new tech.”
Well, it didn’t take long for Texas fans to scramble across social media thinking that Steve Sarkisian fired up the AI platform and asked which play to run like the head coach was playing a game of EA Sports College Football 2026.
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As you would expect, fans were all over the place with their comments, wondering what else could go wrong this season after a very long three-week stretch of contemplating what it would mean if Texas did not make the CFP this year with Arch Manning and a very expensive roster.
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You can rest easy though, Longhorns.
Athletic Director Chris Del Conte must have heard about the ruckus this morning amid their grand announcement regarding AI, because it took only around an hour for him to clarify what the report was trying to insinuate.
“Texas AD Chris Del Conte clarified a published article which said that the decision to go for it on 4th and 2 against Florida last week was based on Bevo Lab analysis,” Del Conte told Bobby Burton.
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“To the contrary, Del Conte said he gave it as an example of what it could suggest, not of what it actually did.”
Arch Manning No. 16 of the Texas Longhorns reacts after a 20-17 victory against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on Sept. 26, 2026, in Knoxville, Tenn
Longhorn fans are on the brink of losing it, apparently
Sure, Steve Sarkisian and his football staff are receiving help from AI when it comes to putting together daily activities, just like the rest of us that live in the corporate world.
But no, I don’t imagine the Longhorns head coach is telling Arch Manning what to run on fourth down based off what prompt the Texas staff was inserting into AI chat along the sidelines with a critical game on the line.
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian celebrates with his players after their win over Ohio State in an NCAA college football game in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 12, 2026./Eric Gay)
I know things are tense in Austin right now, but everyone needs to take a very deep breath before the Longhorns face Ole Miss on Saturday night.
AI play-calling might be the least of their worries if Arch Manning and this Texas offense cannot put it together against the Rebels.
