Peyton Manning sees nephew Arch having a 'huge advantage' with Steve Sarkisian calling plays

Throughout his entire process, Arch Manning has been consistent with his thinking. Plenty of opportunities to leave Texas have popped up for him since arriving on campus. Instead, he remained in Austin and decided to wait his turn to be the starting quarterback. And with Quinn Ewers finally gone, the chance arises for Manning ahead of the 2025 season.

It’s something the entire family has talked about, including his uncle, Peyton. The NFL Hall of Famer believes staying at Texas and learning the system under Steve Sarkisian is going to pay off in a big way. Just ask some of the all-time greats across the game.

“He’s been patient,” Peyton Manning said Monday on The Pat McAfee Show. “It’s been well documented the fact that he’s been there for two years. I’m such a believer in mastering the system that you’re in. When you have coordinators every single year in the NFL or college, that’s just frustrating to me. I was lucky — Tom Moore was there my entire 14-year career.

“(Bill) Belichick gave (Tom) Brady some different coordinators… but it was the same system. Nick Saban makes his coordinators learn his system. So does Kirby (Smart). So, the fact that Sarkisian calls the plays and Arch has been there two years already, that’s going to be a huge advantage for him.”

Had Manning decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal at some point, a new system would have been thrown on his plate. Not to say other offensive-minded coaches are not out there. However, Manning implies that some frustrations would pop up along the way in the process of learning something new.

Results have already been good for Manning wearing a Texas uniform as well. He appeared in 10 games last season, two of which were starts when Ewers went down with an injury. He completed 67.8% of his 90 attempts, adding 939 yards, nine touchdowns, and two interceptions. The ground ability was on full display too, going for 108 yards and four touchdowns on just 25 carries.

Now entering the full-time starting quarterback role, Peyton sees where his nephew is going to have a massive advantage. Having Sarkisian call plays after working together for two years will be something other quarterback/play caller duos will have in their back pocket. Manning is as poised as anybody in college football to produce a massive season, taking the entire country by storm.