Texas coach Steve Sarkisian knows full well the hysteria surrounding all things Arch Manning. Still, he knows the quarterback needs to get experience this season to be ready for 2025.
No. 4 Texas ran up a 31-point lead in Saturday’s season opener against Colorado State. The Longhorns then rotated through multiple players as the game wore on, and it made for a perfect chance to get Manning some snaps.
Starter Quinn Ewers threw three touchdown passes in building up the big lead. He spread the ball around to 10 different players, something five-star recruits Kaliq Lockett and Jaime Ffrench will like to see.
Manning came into the game with 4:04 left in the third quarter. His first play went for 40 yards to Johntay Cook II as Texas raced down to the CSU 9.
On third-and-5 from the CSU 5, Manning thought about running but turned and flipped the ball to Silas Bolden for a touchdown, giving the Longhorns a 45-0 lead.
Manning, a redshirt freshman, played in only two games last season and was 2-for-5 for 30 yards. That was mostly mop-up duty. Texas fans don’t want to see Ewers go down for an extended period of time, but Sarkisiain believes Manning is ready for his opportunity whenever it comes.
“I would say for Arch, I’d probably say light years ahead of where he was last year at this time,” Sarkisian said Thursday when asked about his quarterback depth. “His understanding of what we're trying to do offensively, the nuances of the scheme, the timing of certain throws, the protections, all those things.
“And I just think his overall comfort level and confidence is much higher than it was a year ago at this time, and very comfortable if Arch goes in the game, then he'll go in and operate and operate at a high level.”
Related: Halftime observations from the Texas Longhorns season opener vs. Colorado State Rams
Those comment echo what Sarkisian said in mid-August on The Dan Patrick Show.
Asked how he keeps Manning happy, content and positive, Sarkisian said, “Yeah, the one thing with Arch has been, and I really credit his family, his mom and his dad, his grandpa, obviously his uncles, you know, I think they understand the process.
“So many times, we’re in this world now of instant gratification, right?,” Sarkisian continued. “Whether it’s social media or the five-star recruit comes in and starts right away. But if you really look back at the history of Eli and Peyton (Manning), they didn’t start their freshman year. It took time as they developed. I think the one thing that the Mannings understand is, when it’s your time to play, they want to play really well, right? They don't want to be learning on the job.”
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