AUSTIN (KXAN) — Fans at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium went crazy when Arch Manning entered the game the past two seasons, clamoring for the kid with a royal-like football lineage to become the Texas Longhorns’ starting quarterback.
Now, they’ve got what they wanted.
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With Quinn Ewers now in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins, head coach Steve Sarkisian is giving Manning the keys to the burnt orange Lamborghini, so to speak. A lot is expected of the Longhorns this season, having reached the semifinals of the College Football Playoff for two consecutive seasons, sensational recruiting classes and multiple returning All-Americans.
The Manning name alone adds to that, too, thanks to his uncles Peyton and Eli and grandfather Archie. While some people have pumped the brakes on anointing him the next big thing, others didn’t even wait until he became the full-time starter. The hype train is running at speeds that make Japan’s Shinkansen look like a San Francisco trolley, but all Manning wants to do is play football with his buddies and be one of the guys.
“I’m just here to play football. That’s kind of what I want my focus to be,” he said during SEC media days. “I feel like I’m a pretty normal guy. I like to hang out with my buddies, play golf. I take football pretty seriously. Other than that, just a regular guy.”
When FOX Sports Radio host Colin Cowherd asked Sarkisian about what set Manning apart from other great players he’s coached, Sarkisian answered almost before Cowherd finished asking the question.
“It’s his work ethic. It’s incredible,” Sarkisian said. “Whether it’s studying the playbook, working at his craft, in the weight room … whether it’s innate or handed down from his uncles … that lends itself to the teammate he is. That’s not to take away the arm talent, deep ball, athleticism, all of that. All of that is a byproduct of how hard he works and how hard he works at being a good teammate. He’s worked his tail off from day one.”
He appeared in 10 games last year, starting a pair in place of an injured Ewers. He led the Longhorns to wins over Louisiana Monroe and Mississippi State as a starter, and then played situationally for the most part. He completed 61 passes in 90 attempts for 939 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions, adding 108 rushing yards and four scores on the ground.
But what happens if he gets hurt? It’s a question that scares the daylights out of fans, and presumably Sarkisian, too. Who is the next man up? There are three to choose from, and Sarkisian hasn’t said who the official No. 2 will be.
Sarkisian brought in a transfer, senior Matthew Caldwell. He’s been a journeyman to say the least, starting at FCS Gardner-Webb before going to Jacksonville State, and then to Troy before becoming a Longhorn. He started the final five games for the Trojans last season, amassing a 63% completion rate with 1,608 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. With a lot of younger guys at the position, Caldwell could be the veteran presence Sarkisian would need in a pinch.
Another option that Texas fans have seen, at least the last time there was a spring game, is redshirt freshman Trey Owens. The 6-foot-5 Cy-Fair product looked great after he enrolled early before last season to participate in spring practices. He played in two All-American bowls in his prep days and showed off a cannon of an arm in last year’s spring game.
KJ Lacey, a 4-star recruit from Saraland, Alabama, was the 2024 Mr. Football winner in the state and can sling it around the field. He threw for 40 touchdowns against seven interceptions as a senior for Saraland High School, racking up almost 10,000 career passing yards in three seasons as the starter.
Joe Tatum, a senior, and Austin McCallum High School product Luke Dunham, a freshman preferred walk-on, round out the quarterback roster.