Humility headlines Steve Sarkisian's praise for Arch Manning
On Monday, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian addressed the media for the first time since the Longhorns fell to the Ohio State Buckeyes over two months ago, ending the 2024 season and beginning a new era in Austin.
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Texas had gotten almost all it could out of Quinn Ewers, a quarterback whose positive legacy is marred by injuries and the what if’s of Texas’ early 2020’s teams. Now, with spring practices starting soon, preparations for the 2025 season with a new quarterback at the helm has officially begun for Sarkisian.
That, of course, means that this is now rising star Arch Manning‘s team, something Sarkisian hasn’t shied away from making clear in multiple media settings. But this wasn’t something that Manning has been given, as Sarkisian tried to urge on Monday. Rather, it’s something the young gunslinger has earned in his time in Austin.
“From the day he arrived, there’s been a real sense of humility about him,” Sarkisian said. “If you didn’t know his last name and if you didn’t know the face and you just looked at the body of work and the teammate that he is, the work ethic that he has, his commitment to his craft, his commitment to his teammates, this process has been underway now for a couple of years. Now that we’ve embarked on the 2025 season, I just continue to see a guy who has taken it and is trying to really go for it.”
Manning has impressed so far this offseason. Sarkisian has previously mentioned that Manning is stepping into a leadership role, but it’s his physical ability that has made waves within the Texas camp. He’s been a hard worker in conditioning workouts, is going out of his way to set up his own throwing sessions with the receiving corps, and has already shown the ability to ‘break the team down’ naturally as a quarterback and leader of an offense.
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Manning is no stranger to the fame, having already made his mark in the NIL and commercial world that has attached itself to modern college football, but it doesn’t seem to be detracting from his work ethic and approach to the sport, at least not according to Sarkisian.
“More importantly for him, which I love, he’s having fun doing it, and it doesn’t feel like he’s working. He’s playing the game of football. He’s being a great teammate,” Sarkisian said. “In the end, I think he’s enjoying the process of it, and he loves his teammates, and so I’m really proud of him up to this point.”
Manning has already started his first game as Longhorn, having taken the reins against ULM and Mississippi State in relief of Ewers early in the season. But the young QB will be tested in his first career road start. Texas will face Ohio State in Columbus to kick off the 2025 season in week one, with thoughts of vengeance and revenge certainly on the minds of a group that won’t forget that Cotton Bowl defeat.
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Texas still has a long way to go before August 30, when the teams will face each other in Ohio Stadium, but Manning has already given Sarkisian plenty to talk about. The Longhorns will continue through the Spring with spring practices ahead of the spring portal opening, where Sarkisian may be tasked with finding more weapons for the redshirt sophomore.
