With QB Arch Manning, Texas Has Long-Term Option Entering SEC Play
Changes are coming to Austin when the Texas Longhorns arrive in the SEC in 2025.
The biggest? A promising quarterback with the upside of his NFL uncles.
The addition of Arch Manning alone might be a selling point for recruits in the future. It was the ideal sales pitch for the 2023 class, which tallied 23 recruits for the impending season.
Manning, the son of former Ole Miss receiver Cooper Manning, nephew of NFL passer Peyton and Eli Manning, and grandson of New Orleans Saints great, Archie, will be tasked with keeping football's finest family's legacy alive whenever he takes over as the full-time starter. Still, scouts and coaches believed his upside was worth consideration of garner terms such as "can't-miss" and "generational" during the recruiting process.
"Signing Arch Manning was big on a lot of fronts," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Wednesday afternoon. "He's extremely gifted. He's got all the attributes needed to be a good quarterback. He's 6-4, 225, he's got a great arm. He's a good athlete. He's got really good fundamentals. There's not a throw he can't make. He's got the desire, the competitiveness, the work ethic needed to be great at the position."
From the get-go, Sarkisian targeted Manning as "his guy." Recruiting began back when he served as offensive coordinator at Alabama in 2020. It carried over to Texas when named Tom Herman's replacement in 2021 following a national title win over Ohio State.
For months, Sarkisian remained in back-and-forth conversations with SI99's No. 10 prospect and No. 4 quarterback, plus his immediate family. The Mannings have been known for believing in a coach and following him regardless of the program.
Peyton, who went on to be a Heisman finalist and eventual No. 1 pick in 1998, was heavily influenced by then-offensive coordinator David Cuttclife to commit to Tennessee. Eli, who went to be the No. 1 pick in 2004, followed Cutcliffe to Ole Miss, following in his father's footsteps in keeping the Hotty Toddy tradition alive.
Sarkisian isn't Cutcliffe in terms of play design or offensive personnel, but it could be Arch Manning's teacher en route to winning countless accolades and potential national championships before hopefully becoming the next top selection in the draft years from now.
"When he committed to us, it was actually a little earlier than we were anticipating in the process in the summer," Sarkisian said. "But we took it, we were excited about it. I think there was a direct impact on the rest of the class."
A four-year starter at Isidore Newman in New Orleans (La.), Arch Manning threw for 8,599 yards and 115 touchdowns with 20 interceptions while rushing for 1,155 yards and 25 TDs. He broke Eli's school record for passing yards (7,268) and Peyton's for TDs (93).
One thing that Sarkisian noticed was Arch Manning's maturity in terms of living up to the family name. What sold the soon-to-be third-year coach was his ability to look at the player as an individual rather than comparing him to the family known for its NFL pedigree.
"It's not about his name. It's about who he is innately inside," Sarkisian said. "Fired up to get him here in a couple of weeks and get to work."
Arch Manning, who will enroll next month on the Forty Acres, will have a chance to compete for first-team reps entering the 2023 season. Currently, the Longhorns have three quarterbacks on the roster in Quinn Ewers, 2021 SI99 recruit Maalik Murphy and Austin native Charles Wright.
Ewers, SI99's No. 2 quarterback before his reclassification, won the starting job over Hudson Card prior to the start of the 2021 season. The year was filled with highlight moments and plenty of miscues en route to an 8-4 finish. Ewers threw for 1,808 yards and 14 touchdowns against six interceptions in nine starts.
Ewers' best start came in the Red River Showdown when he threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns against one interception in a 59-0 win. His worst came against then-No. 11 Oklahoma State when he completed just 38.8 percent of his throws for 319 yards and three interceptions.
Sarkisian made it clear that the best man for the job would earn the title of QB1 next fall. With Arch Manning's early arrival, it isn't far-fetched to say that with time in Sark's system, the nephew of two of the NFL greats could be seeing meaningful reps come Week 1 against Rice at Royal-Memorial Stadium.
"We make it very clear to everybody in our team meeting room that the best players are going to play that give us the best opportunity to be successful as a team," Sarkisian said. "That should be motivating to everybody that there's always that opportunity to prove yourself and find your way onto the field."
The No. 20 Longhorns (8-4, 5-3 Big 12) will face No. 12 Washington (10-2, 7-2 Pac-12) in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 29 to close out the 2022 campaign. Kickoff from the Alamodome in San Antonio is set for 8 p.m.
You can follow Cole Thompson on Twitter @MrColeThompson
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