Arch Manning on playing in the SEC: 'It's very exciting'

Ahead of the move to the SEC for the Texas Longhorns, highly-touted quarterback Arch Manning can’t wait for the competition it’ll bring to Austin.

While Manning is currently slated to begin the season as Quinn Ewers‘ backup, it’s anyone’s guess how the 2024 campaign will shakeout, as Ewers has dealt with some injuries in the past, and there’s a myriad of reasons we could see Manning on the field this season.

Regardless of whether he’s starting or waiting in the wings, Manning explained his feelings on Texas’ move to the SEC to The Bengal Tiger’s Shea Dixon, and it’s evident he’s exuberant about the move to the conference.

“It’s very exciting,” Manning said, regarding Texas moving to the SEC. “I grew up going to SEC games, pretty much only following the SEC. So, I’m really excited.”

Of course, Manning’s family has deep SEC ties, so it only makes sense that the Longhorns would move to the conference with the quarterback in tow. As a freshman with the Longhorns last season, he found himself third on the depth chart behind, but Manning still made two appearances late in the year.

As for how much playing time he expects, Manning said he’s getting ready for whatever’s thrown at him. With training camp quickly approaching, his focus is on improving his craft in case his number gets called.

“I feel like I’m getting better every day,” Manning added, via Dixon at the Manning Passing Academy, held at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La. “Just trying to stay ready. Anything can happen. I’m excited and I’m gonna be ready.”

Of course, Manning arrived in Austin last year with plenty of anticipation as a Five Star Plus+ recruit, meaning he was one of the only players ranked by all four major recruiting media companies as a five star.

However, with Ewers back for Year 3 at Texas as he looks to improve his NFL Draft stock, Manning is looking at another year in a reserve role as he gets ready for his sophomore campaign. That might work out in his favor, though. Ewers recently said an extra season on the sidelines could prepare Manning that much more for the moment Steve Sarkisian hands him the keys to the offense.

Alas, Arch Manning can’t wait to get to the SEC, and Texas fans can’t wait to see how he performs when the Longhorns finally let him go. We’ll see if that happens in 2024, or if we have to wait until 2025 for Manning’s time to come.

The Bengal Tiger’s Shea Dixon and On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.