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The Texas Longhorns have come agonizingly close to a national championship over the past two seasons, but under head coach Steve Sarkisian, the SEC giants have not yet been able to break through.
That all may be about to change in 2025, when the highly-touted Arch Manning finally takes over as Texas' starting quarterback. Manning has already generated hype as a possible #1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, and he impressed during his brief time as a starter in 2024, in relief of the injured Quinn Ewers. But much about Manning is still unknown -- especially as to how he will maintain Texas' upward trajectory.
The unique reason why Manning spurned Alabama and Georgia
The Texas football program fell on hard times after reaching the national championship game in 2009. More than a decade of irrelevance followed as the Longhorns fell behind national powerhouses like the Georgia Bulldogs and the Alabama Crimson Tide. But Manning's choice to come to Austin was one of many signals indicating Texas' return to prominence.
"I him asking a lot of questions away from football," Arch's brother Heid Manning told 247 Sports. "Like, nothing about NIL dollars or the NFL. He was asking, like, 'Am I going to be able to get away and maybe go somewhere where people don't recognize me as much?' And out of Athens, Tuscaloosa and Austin, I mean, it's easily Austin for that."
Manning has been seen in the crowd cheering on Texas' men's basketball team, and it seems that life in the state's capital -- which retains a unique "college town" vibe -- suits the 19-year-old just fine. He is among the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy in 2025, and if he wins the accolade, he would be first Texas player in more than a quarter-century to do so.
"On his visits, he was asking, 'Is there anywhere I can lay low?' He loves his privacy, and he loves not being in the spotlight," Heid explained.
What feels certain is that Sarkisian is putting the infrastructure in place to "let Arch be Arch" and have the dual-threat signal-caller run the show for the Longhorns' offense. With so many new pieces in place along the offensive line and in key skill positions, Manning will have every opportunity to shine in pursuit of the Longhorns' first national championship since 2005.