Texas Head Coach Steve Sarkisian appeared on the nationally syndicated Dan Patrick Show on Monday and was predictably asked about highly-touted sophomore quarterback Arch Manning, the No. 1 rated recruit in the 2023 class and latest member of the most influential family in football to enter the college ranks.
Manning will back up starting quarterback Quinn Ewers this year and isn’t in line to see meaningful snaps, barring an injury. However, with Ewers having missed multiple games in both of his seasons as the Longhorns’ starter, Manning’s name may be called this year.
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During his recruitment process, Manning and his family likely knew that Ewers would be the presumptive starter for Manning’s first two seasons on the Forty Acres but decided to choose Texas anyway. Sarkisian believes that is because Eli and Peyton Manning, Arch’s two-time Super Bowl champion uncles, understand the long-term process of cultivating a great quarterback. However, Patrick was still curious how they keep some with as high a profile as Manning happy.
“The one thing with Arch has been, and I think I really credit his family, his mom and his dad, you know, his grandpa, obviously his uncles, you know, I think they understand the process,” Sarkisian said. “And so many times we're in this world now, instant gratification, right? 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, they didn't start their freshman year. You know, it took time as they developed. Because 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.”
Sarkisian also discussed Manning’s development since arriving in Austin and how it bodes well for the New Orleans product’s future.
“We've got a pretty good history and tradition of developing quarterbacks over the last 20 or so years, going all the way back to Carson Palmer and all of the guys that we’ve coached,” Sarkisian said. “I think we've seen an immense amount of development in Arch. We feel very comfortable if and/or when he gets in the game, he's going to play good football for us. But I also think they (the Mannings) understand the process of developing himself to be a championship-caliber quarterback in the SEC and on the national stage, but also preparing and putting himself in the best position for the National Football League.”
After the 2024 season, Ewers is expected to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft, leaving Manning with the starting job for his junior season, which Sarkisian and his staff have been preparing the young signal caller for since he arrived in Austin.
Related: Steve Sarkisian Talks Texas’ Preparation For the SEC
In the meantime, Texas will embark on its 2024 campaign against Colorado St. at Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium on August 31 at 2:30 p.m. CT.
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