Texas Longhorns and Steve Sarkisian have real shot at unbelievable succession plan at quarterback based on latest recruiting
The Texas Longhorns are about to fully and finally begin the Arch Manning era this season, which is exciting enough by itself. Manning, should he live up to the hype, could carry Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns all the way back to the promised land of winning a national championship.But what comes after Arch? What […]
The Texas Longhorns are about to fully and finally begin the Arch Manning era this season, which is exciting enough by itself. Manning, should he live up to the hype, could carry Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns all the way back to the promised land of winning a national championship.
But what comes after Arch? What if he wins it all this season and surprisingly departs after one year? The answer to that question looks like it's already in good hands thanks to Sarkisian and his relentless recruiting apparatus. And based on this week's visit, the future at quarterback for Texas might look even brighter here soon.
Gunner Rivers, Four Star QB Recruit
In case you missed it, Gunner Rivers–the son of the great NFL quarterback Philip Rivers–took his first visit to Texas this past weekend. The Longhorns haven't officially offered a scholarship to this rising high four star recruit and NFL legacy just yet, but the visit apparently went extremely well. Gunner Rivers won't be in college until 2027, so there's still plenty of time to finish off his recruitment should Sarkisian and company choose to do so.
The Longhorns already have redshirt freshman Trey Owens and true freshman Karle "KJ" Lacey in the quarterback room to build around as two solid potential heirs to Arch Manning's QB throne, but the succession plan at quarterback could really start to look special if Texas adds Rivers and one more elite talent to that mix.
The Longhorns are still holding onto an early commitment from Dia Bell, a five star quarterback in the 2026 recruiting class as well. Bell is of course the son of long-time NBA player Raja Bell. So, if Steve Sarkisian can actually pull off both recruitments for 2026 and 2027, the quarterback succession plan over the next several years could look like this:
Arch Manning (nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning)
Dia Bell (son of NBA star Raja Bell)
Gunner Rivers (son of possible Hall of Fame QB Philip Rivers)
That would be quite an epic string of NFL and NBA legacy talents heading up the Texas Longhorns quarterback position out as far as the year 2031.
There's still plenty of time before talents like Dia Bell and Gunner Rivers are officially a part of the Texas football team. And the Longhorns still need to take care of business right now, which Arch Manning should help them do. However, if Texas can keep the momentum going with the success on the field then top quarterback recruits like five star Dia Bell and Gunner Rivers are going to continue flocking to Austin, which should continue to build a promising future for Longhorns fans.
We'll be back with more Texas Longhorns coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
And if you want to check out some of the best plays from Gunner Rivers you can find those in the highlights video below.
