Paul Finebaum on pressure on Steve Sarkisian: Arch Manning saved him for now

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian won one of the biggest quarterback recruitments in recent years when he secured the commitment of Arch Manning. As the son of Cooper Manning and the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, he has a Hall of Fame football family background. He’s lived up to that namesake as well as a five star QB and the No. 1 player in On3’s 2023 Consensus Top Football Recruits. ESPN’s Paul Finebaum says the size of a commitment like Manning’s likely saved Sarkisian’s job for the time being.

Finebaum talked about the Longhorns, Sarkisian and Manning’s commitment in an interview with ‘Awful Announcing’. He says had Sarkisian not secured Manning, 2022 would be a make or break year for him.

“Without Arch Manning, he would be in a do-or-die season right now. But getting Arch certainly saved him for the time being” said Finebaum. “I don’t think he gets a long leash there at all.”

Sarkisian is coming off his first season in Austin. They finished 5-7 on the year including 3-6 in the Big 12. After reaching as high as 15th in the AP Poll following their opener, they lost to an unranked Arkansas and then lost six of their last seven. A stretch like that has some uneasy about where things go from here in his second season.

A solid season before Manning arrives would be a step in the right direction. With talent like QB Quinn Ewers and RB Bijan Robinson, they’ll have the firepower to compete in the Big 12. A 12 game slate that includes the likes of Alabama will make that easier said than done.

Manning’s commitment will extend Texas’ patience with Sarkisian to ensure the top prospect in 2023 is in Austin a year from now. If neither season goes well, though, Paul Finebaum thinks all bets may end up off.

“This will be his second year. I don’t expect it to be great when you look at the schedule. But by the third year, when Arch Manning comes in, that season is going to determine a lot.”