Texas HC Steve Sarkisian expressed disbelief at the narrative surrounding Arch Manning this offseason
Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian expressed disbelief this week at the narrative that's surrounded quarterback Arch Manning all offseason. Manning, a five-star recruit in the 2023 class, is set to serve as a backup quarterback for the Longhorns this fall with incumbent starter Quinn Ewers returning for another season. There was speculation earlier in […]
Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian expressed disbelief this week at the narrative that's surrounded quarterback Arch Manning all offseason.
Manning, a five-star recruit in the 2023 class, is set to serve as a backup quarterback for the Longhorns this fall with incumbent starter Quinn Ewers returning for another season.
There was speculation earlier in the offseason that Manning could transfer once Ewers announced his return.
Manning, however, never entertained the idea of entering the NCAA transfer portal.
That decision from Manning has generated praise from numerous analysts for sticking it out at Texas instead of transferring to a program where he'd be guaranteed a starting role.
Sarkisian joined CBS Sports' Josh Pate this week for an extended sit-down conversation and he chuckled at the idea that Manning's return to Austin is a big deal. The fourth-year Texas head coach told Pate that he can't believe that Manning's decision to not transfer has received so much praise this offseason.
"I get a chuckle out of this — everyone is praising Arch for staying at Texas," said Sarkisian. "He's going into year two! Like, what do you mean? But that's the mentality — and our locker room is not a whole lot different than everybody else's — but that's the mentality. 'Good for Arch, he's sticking it out with Texas in year two'. And I'm like 'hey, that's part of the process'. We're developing him to be a great football player and a great leader. And he's going to be."
"But that's where we're (college football) at right now," added Sarkisian. "I think that's a little bit unfortunate, but it is what it is."
Sarkisian is right — it's wild that Manning is getting praised for returning to Texas for his second season (and I'm one of the folks that's praised Manning for that decision). But it's something that's becoming more and more common in college football. We see highly-touted quarterbacks transfer every offseason after their first year at a program. It's the way of the sport in 2024. So in a way, Arch is a bit of a throwback to the pre-portal/NIL era (which obviously has only been around for a few years).
Hopefully for the sake of college football, players like Manning "sticking it out" becomes the norm. The portal is a great tool, but development should still be the primary focus for players — especially if they have NFL dreams. The couple of seasons that Manning spends learning in Sarkisian's system while playing behind Ewers could ultimately be more valuable than any NIL deal he would've received to leave Texas.
Prominent NFL fan base already wants to tank for Texas QB Arch Manning
Might not be a bad idea
