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Arch Manning has not been in the shadows for the last two years. It is impossible to lay low with his last name. Although there was little actual quarterback controversy while Quinn Ewers started, many discussed and speculated the Texas depth chart ad nauseam. Heck, Dr Pepper even alluded to the situation in its popular Fansville commercial campaign.
The chatter is only going to ramp up now, but the conversations will take on a starkly different tenor. Manning's time has finally come. With Ewers preparing to hear his name called in the 2025 NFL Draft, either on Day 2 or Day 3, the 19-year-old golden boy is set to take the Longhorns' reins next season.
He has a couple of starts under his belt and the advantage of learning from an innovative offensive mind like the one that head coach Steve Sarkisian possesses, but this is a big change. The pressure will be overwhelming and constant now that Manning is the unquestioned QB1 in Austin. Fans will throw around the names Peyton and Eli, the redshirt sophomore's Super Bowl-winning uncles-turned media-darlings, but this player is his own man.
And that is exactly why his coach believes he is built to succeed.
Arch Manning has all the qualities to flourish
Sarkisian watches Manning consistently dispel the public's preconceived notions about him and observes an effortlessness to how he carries himself on a football field.
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“I think there's something that's unique about Arch,” the 2023 Big 12 champion told ESPN's Pete Thamel. “You can watch him throw and you see when you get up on him in person, man, he's a bigger guy than maybe people think. When you watch him throw, the arm talent and the deep ball is there. Then you watch him move and you're like, wait, this guy's a better athlete than I thought.”
Arch Manning undoubtedly has a wealth of resources and god-given talent at his disposal, but what truly defines him in Sarkisian's eyes is his intangibles. The 6-foot-4 New Orleans, Louisiana native is committed to Texas football. Manning waited two years for the chance to lead this storied program, and that is something he holds dearly.
“There's an infectious leadership that he has, that I don't want to say is unintentional because he intentionally leads,” Steve Sarkisian said. “You can feel that. But the unintentional leadership ability he has, players gravitate to him, they want to be around him… They like him for who he is, not for the name on the back of his jersey.”
Manning and the Longhorns are working hard at spring practice, determined to finally return to the sport's summit. Winning a national championship at an SEC-based school would be a fine way for this young athlete to further distinguish himself from his famous family.
