Texas' Arch Manning replacement delivers devastating news to Ohio State and LSU amid flip efforts
The Texas Longhorns will have Arch Manning as the face of the program for the next two years if all goes as expected, but Steve Sarkisian has his eye on Manning's protege for future years. 2026 5-star quarterback Dia Bell is committed to Texas, and the Longhorns have been battling other top programs for the […]
The Texas Longhorns will have Arch Manning as the face of the program for the next two years if all goes as expected, but Steve Sarkisian has his eye on Manning's protege for future years. 2026 5-star quarterback Dia Bell is committed to Texas, and the Longhorns have been battling other top programs for the 6-foot-3, 190-pound standout.
Bell committed to Texas on June 17, 2024, and has no interest in visiting other programs. Ohio State, LSU, Alabama, and Georgia have been the primary chasers for the Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native.
He told On3 that his visit schedule only features Texas, and he plans to stay firmly attached to the Longhorns. His upcoming visit to Austin on June 20 is the only official trip planned.
“As of right now, I don’t have any plans to visit anyone besides the University of Texas,” Bell said.
The No. 3 quarterback in the class kept the door cracked to hear the pitches to what Ohio State and LSU can offer, but he loves so much about Texas that there's no reason to think a change would happen. It's not like other programs will outbid Texas, and the Longhorns have the need for Bell to start early in his career.
“That’s always exciting for me knowing that we have stability in our coaching staff and all the offensive coaches are the same,” Bell said.
"With Ohio State, they got a new quarterback coach (Billy Fessler); he wants me to come up and see his guys and how he runs his practices. With the other schools I know pretty well, like LSU and Georgia, they both want me to get back and see what it’s like to be in their program,” Bell said.
“With LSU, they have a lot of older quarterbacks, so a younger 2026 could come in and hopefully get an opportunity early, but I feel like I have that same opportunity at Texas, so I don’t get phased when I hear that,” Bell explained.