Kirk Herbstreit Discusses Impact of Arch Manning’s Commitment on Texas

The ESPN analyst doesn’t necessarily think “Texas is back” after this decision, but he does applaud coach Steve Sarkisian for his recruitment.

ESPN football analyst Kirk Herbstreit joined SportsCenter on Thursday to discuss Arch Manning’s decision to commit to Texas.

Herbstreit, who will also work as Amazon Prime’s NFL analyst this fall, said that this future addition is huge for Longhorns football.

“It’s big because not only do you get Arch Manning, but we all know how this is going to impact tight ends, receivers, running backs who are all going to want to play with him,” Herbstreit said.

The No. 1 ranked quarterback for the Class of 2023 surprised football fans on Thursday when he announced that his commitment to the University of Texas for his college career. Manning is the grandson of Saints legend Archie Manning and the nephew of Colts/Broncos Hall of Famer Peyton Manning and Giants legend Eli Manning. None of his family members played at Texas in college.

In regards to the infamous “Texas is back” phrase, Herbstreit said Longhorn fans should hold back on this mindset for now. Manning won’t start his college career until the fall of 2023, and it takes time for a team to bond on the field.

“I’m not one of these to say anybody’s ‘back,’” Herbstreit said. “Texas is not ‘back’ right now. I think their real fans would tell you that. But this is definitely a step in the right direction and a recruiting coup not only to get the quarterback, but eventually, watch the other dominoes fall behind him because of getting such a big-time recruit and a quarterback who’s a distributor in that offense that Mac Jones and Tua [Tagovailoa] and others have played in over the years.”

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Additionally, Herbstreit applauded Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, who was able to secure the top quarterback prospect heading into just his second season at the school. 

“I keep going back to Sark,” Herbstreit said. “You can count on one hand how many offensive minds have an ability to put a quarterback in a position to have success the way Steve Sarkisian can as a play-caller and the way he designs plays. He’s a guy that ultimately knows how to attack. I’m sure the relationship that he had with the family had a lot to do with this.”

Only time will tell how many more top recruits Texas will be able to grab ahead of the 2023 football season.

• Longhorns Country: Arch Manning Commitment Sets New Standard at Texas 

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