- NCAA. Arch Manning still has Quinn Ewers in his head even though he 'stole' the limelight from him
- NCAA. Arch Manning faces intensified offseason as Texas Longhorns gear up for new campaign
College football is still several months away from kicking off, but safe to say the Arch Manning hype train at Texas is well and truly on track.
Standing at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, the son of Cooper is gearing up for what will be a huge season for him and the Longhorns.
After being sparingly used throughout the 2024 campaign, Arch will undoubtedly head into next season as the starting quarterback at Texas after Quinn Ewers declared for the NFL Draft.
How Arch is preparing for his new role
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian recently met with the media for the first time since the end of last season, and he had nothing but praise for how Arch has approached the offseason.
"I just continue to see a guy who has taken it and is trying to really go for it," Sarkisian said.
"He just doesn't want to leave any stone unturned. He's working at his craft. He's working so hard in the offseason conditioning runs. He's now setting up those voluntary throwing sessions with the receivers during the week or on the weekend.
"He's breaking the team down, doing all those natural things that a quarterback has to do to instill belief in his teammates, to instill belief in the staff."
Perhaps Sarkisian's praise for Arch stems from how he accepted being Ewers' backup for two seasons. During that time he has shown his commitment to his teammates while waiting for his time atop the depth chart.
"If you didn't know his last name, and 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," Sarkisian said.
With Texas travelling to Ohio State for the opening game of the season, Sarkisian wants his young quarterback to know that things won't always go to plan.
"That's not a reality," Sarkisian said. "He's going to hear the murmurs of the crowd, and that's part of it too."
With spring practice for the Longhorns beginning on March 25, Sarkisian is eager to see how much more Arch can grow as he gears up for what will be a big season in Texas.
"He's doing it, but more importantly for him, which I love, he's having fun doing it," Sarkisian said.
"And it doesn't feel like he's working. He's playing the game of football. He's being a great teammate. There's going to be bumps in the road. ... In the end, I think he's enjoying the process of it, and he loves his teammates, and I'm really proud of him up to this point. We got a long way to go."