Texas QB Arch Manning reveals his golf handicap is 13 amid Hugh Freeze criticism

An unexpected topic of conversation at SEC Media Days this week has been golf. The anger from Auburn fans surrounding Hugh Freeze’s favorite hobby has everyone talking about it, even Texas star Arch Manning.

The freshly-minted starting quarterback for the Longhorns revealed he has a handicap around a 13, according to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports. Maybe he has to hit up Freeze and play a couple rounds to improve it.

Golf may not be his sport, but Manning is ready to take the football world by storm. In 2024, the quarterback showed off some serious promise. He started two games for Texas while Quinn Ewers was out with an injury, completing 41-of-his-60 pass attempts for 583 yards and four touchdowns while only throwing two interceptions. He also recorded 29 rushing yards and a touchdown.

On the other hand, it’s worth noting Manning’s two starts were against UL-Monroe and Mississippi State. The former five-star prospect never had a full game against top competition to show what he’s capable of, and that’s added a bit of pause to his hype train.

Additionally, carrying the Manning name is something the quarterback will be tasked with, aside from the pressure of leading a premier program like Texas. With an illustrious history of talent in his family, he’s primed to be the next in line for greatness. That could be a lot to handle for any singular player.

Regardless, Arch Manning seems ready to attack every challenge thrown his way in 2025. Golf may not be his strong suit, but his future on the football field, with the Longhorns and beyond, is brighter than ever.

More on Hugh Freeze, criticism for golfing

Arch Manning wasn’t the only SEC quarterback talking about golf on Tuesday. Auburn transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold came to Freeze’s defense. After starting his college career as a highly-touted prospect with Oklahoma, he has no issue with his coach hitting the links a little bit.

“Coach Freeze loves to play golf. At the end of the day, you’ve got to have something outside of football to go to and kind of get away from football,” Arnold stated, via SEC This Morning. “I feel like, if Auburn was — if the team last year was 8-4, 9-3, we’re not even having the same conversation right now. We didn’t make a bowl game last year, maybe recruiting is a little shaky right the second, I guess you can go and blame that. I bet you Coach Freeze is playing golf just as much last year as he is this year. 

“… I don’t think it’s an issue at all. I think people are kind of blowing it out of proportion. I think people just want something to talk about right now. I feel like, Coach has an outlet to do something fun with his wife, and he goes out and takes advantage of that.”

Hugh Freeze, Jackson Arnold and Auburn as a whole would like to focus on the football field, not golf. We’ll see if they can make everyone forget about this outrage with the Tigers’ play in 2025, or if it continues to spiral amid struggles for the program.