Urban Meyer questions Steve Sarkisian over his response to Arch Manning injury question

Steve Sarkisian isn’t known to be particularly confrontational with the media — especially not when compared to his former boss at Alabama, Nick Saban. But when it comes to the health of Arch Manning, the sixth-year Texas head coach got a bit defensive — and awkward — during Monday’s press conference.

“He doesn’t have any (pain),” Sarkisian said Monday. “I don’t know. I’ve never filmed any of you guys when you’re using the restroom. So, I don’t know what faces you make when you’re doing that.”

Sarkisian’s combative answer came in response to a question about a painful wince Manning made after a throw in last Saturday’s 38-7 win over San Jose State in Austin that ABC’s cameras caught on live TV.

Sarkisian may have thought he was being funny in the moment, but it came off as “disgusting” and “totally inappropriate” according to ESPN’s Paul Finebaum. Even coach-turned-FOX Sports analyst Urban Meyer, who won three national titles at Florida and Ohio State, questioned Sarkisian’s comments.

During a Friday appearance on FS1’s The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Meyer suggested the pressure of coaching at Texas amid a difficult 1-1 start to the season after opening as the consensus preseason No. 1 could be getting to Sarkisian.

“I do. I think it comes with that job. … So much respect for that (Sarkisian), but I saw that interaction with the reporter and I wondered: ‘Why?’ That’s a legitimate question,” Meyer said Friday on FS1. “If he’s hurting, then just say he’s hurting. If he’s not, then just say he’s fine. So I don’t know if there’s something behind door No. 2 with (his response). I saw the same thing on video, and … players wince all the time. But I do believe that was a legitimate question (about Manning’s health).

“You know, is your quarterback hurt? Because I actually heard that from someone at FOX saying he’s a little dinged up,” Meyer continued. “But I didn’t see that during the Ohio State game because they ran him quite a bit. So I don’t understand that interaction and maybe there is something there.”

Paul Finebaum: Arch Manning ‘doesn’t need to be coddled’ by Steve Sarkisian

During a Tuesday appearance on ESPN’s First Take, Finebaum doubled-down on Sarkisian’s restroom crack by suggesting his response to a simple question about Manning’s health had the potential to do more harm than good for his young quarterback.

After entering 2025 as the preseason Heisman Trophy favorite, among other accolades, Manning has already faced strong criticism for failing to live up to the manufactured hype through the first two weeks of the regular season.

“I understand why he’s defensive, but don’t turn it back on the press. … And what (Manning) doesn’t need is his coach babying him in the media,” Finebaum continued. “That’s the worst thing that can happen when you already have the (last) name that a lot of people want to hate on, the privilege a lot of people want to scorn.

“Arch Manning has to go out there and do it himself, and he doesn’t need to be coddled by the one person who’s job it is to make him look good and protect him on the field, not off the field, and that’s Steve Sarkisian.”