Steve Sarkisian praises Arch Manning for his loyalty: 'How many people have come after him from other schools to get him to transfer?'

When two former college quarterbacks sit down, they’re going to talk about the position. When one of those quarterbacks is Colt McCoy and the other is Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, the topic of Arch Manning is a guarantee to come up. Talks about Manning’s patience and loyalty typically follow as No. 16 takes over as the Longhorns’ QB1 this season. But for the first time when talking about Manning, Sarkisian hinted at tests of that loyalty in the NIL and transfer portal era.

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McCoy and Sarkisian sat down for an episode of Clean Pocket on YouTube and talked about Manning’s journey to the starting position. It was one that took longer than most expected thanks to Quinn Ewers‘ decision to return for the 2024 season.

In the middle of a light-hearted answer where Sarkisian said he was thankful Arch received his athleticism from his grandfather, Archie Manning, as opposed to the relative lack thereof from uncles Peyton and Eli, Sarkisian also explained why he was thankful that Manning stuck around Texas for two years behind Ewers before getting his starting opportunity. In doing so, he mentioned the Longhorns may have had to fend off overtures from outside entities testing Manning’s commitment to the Texas program.

“I’m excited for him,” Sarkisian said at the 17:05 mark. “He’s been patient. How many people have come after him from other schools to get him to transfer? He’s stayed the course and stayed true to his word, so we’re pumped about him.”

Manning without a doubt has reaped the benefits of not only being the Longhorns’ starting quarterback, but also from living in the city of Austin. He’s entered into NIL deals with Red Bull, Waymo, and EA Sports College Football 25, all opportunities that assuredly brought nice paydays with them that helped make his current home the wanted he wanted to remain in.

Now the starter, Manning is taking over as the face of the program. One thing Sarkisian identified as a blessing in disguise was Manning getting two games worth of starts and plenty of other snaps in meaningful moments in 2024.

“Any time you’re a back-up and you have to go in a game and really play in a game, not the fourth quarter up by 30 and ‘hey get in there and hand the ball off and throw a couple of quick outs,’ he had to play, which was good,” Sarkisian said. “Then he had to prepare for two weeks to be the starter. In one of those weeks, it was our SEC opener against Mississippi State. It wasn’t just some ho-hum. Hey bud, this one really counts.”

Sarkisian continued: “I think we saw some really (great) things. I think we saw some athleticism that surprised a lot of people, his ability to throw the deep ball and the deep ball in our system and how important that is, to take advantage of those one on one opportunities was huge.”

Manning, the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2023 On3 Industry Ranking, played in 10 games last year with starts versus ULM and Mississippi State. He was 61-for-90 for 939 yards and nine touchdowns with two interceptions. He also rushed 25 times for 108 yards and four touchdowns.

His skill was evident in those opportunities, but he was never asked to be the leading figure on the 2023 or 2024 Longhorns. That’s different in 2025.

“This guy has got a charismatic, some ‘it’ about him,” Sarkisian said. “You can feel it. That’s not a knock against Quinn. Everybody leads differently. He’s got something about him that guys gravitate to. That’s always a great thing to have as a quarterback.”

Sarkisian would later say: “You want those guys to want to play even better because of who you are. Not ‘I’ll do it because I need to do it for me,’ they want to do it. I think Arch has that about him. The man is talented. No one works harder. No one is in the film room more.”

While he comes from America’s first football family, McCoy knows there’s more to Manning than just living up to standards created by his last name. He’s at Texas, a school no one else in his family attended, in order to help bring the Longhorns to great heights. Or, as Sarkisian put it, help the Longhorns break down the door.

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Said McCoy, “He wants to carve it for his own. That’s clear.”