Arch Manning has been preparing for this season his entire life. And Texas coaches think he's more than ready
Probably the No. 1 storyline in all of college football throughout this 2025 offseason has been Arch Manning taking over at quarterback at Texas. No doubt about it. Manning has downplayed it at every turn, was coy and humble at SEC Media Days earlier this month, and is putting all the focus on his teammates […]
Probably the No. 1 storyline in all of college football throughout this 2025 offseason has been Arch Manning taking over at quarterback at Texas. No doubt about it. Manning has downplayed it at every turn, was coy and humble at SEC Media Days earlier this month, and is putting all the focus on his teammates and the program.
The coaches have also said they have not had to reel him in or check him at any point. Manning goes about his business with a surgical precision and the Texas coaches are confident he is more than ready to take over.
Offensive coordinator AJ Milwee spoke with the media Monday and he said as much. He's noticed how Manning has prepared unlike other newcomers into a college football program.
"They come into these situations where you have to sit and you don't prepare yourself to be a starting quarterback in that first year or that second year," Milwee said. "This kid has not done that. This kid has prepared himself like he has been a starter whether he started or not for the last two years. He has put himself in a position to be ready to play that game when the time comes."
And it's not just AJ Milwee. Other Texas staffers have noticed the intense preparation.
"One of the advantages he has is he has been a Manning his whole life," Texas OL coach Kyle Flood said. "He has been in the spotlight for a long time. Similar to Quinn (Ewers) who has been in the spotlight a long time."
And it's not just the coaches. All-American safety Michael Taaffe has noticed Manning's businees-like approach to being the quarterback and leader in the locker room.
"How he leads is he gets the respect of the locker room. It's not always the rah-rah guy. You can be a leader in so many different ways," Taaffe said. "But how he leads is he makes a personal relationship with every guy in the locker room and tries to get respect from them."
It's going to be hard for all of us to ignore Arch Madness this season. But, for now, it seems the young quarterback is unaffected. Thanks in part to his upbringing and the insulation of the Texas program has made this possible.
Now, if he comes out the gates firing August 30 against the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes, it's only going to get worse. But, something tells me Arch will treat it like any other game. His head coach, Steve Sarkisian, believes it, too.
"I think he's him….You know quarterbacks, one of their main responsibilities is to instill belief. Belief in the locker room, belief in the coaching staff, belief in the fanbase and I think Arch has done that for us"
