'Extremely Humble:' Steve Sarkisian Impressed With Development of Arch Manning

During his appearance on the Jim Rome Show, head coach Steve Sarkisian revealed his first impressions of the redshirt freshman quarterback and how he's grown since his arrival.

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) takes a photo with fans after the 35-13 win over Mississippi State at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"I want to go to Texas."

Standing in his burnt orange t-shirt, 12-year-old Arch Manning foreshadowed his future in a video that went viral over the summer, just a couple of months ahead of his second year with the Longhorns.

The redshirt freshman quarterback joined the Texas roster as the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2023. After seeing minuscule playing time in his first year, he's now been able to truly develop his college career, having two starts this season and leading the Longhorns to victory in both cases.   

Head coach Steve Sarkisian was given the opportunity to speak about Manning's personality on the Jim Rome Show on Wednesday, in which Sarkisian reminisced on his first impressions of the famous nephew of NFL legends Eli and Peyton Manning.   

.@CoachSark on Arch Manning stepping when called up for @TexasFootball. pic.twitter.com/7hwpK2a1Nw

— Jim Rome (@jimrome) October 2, 2024

"First of all, Arch is a great kid, he was a joy to recruit. He came here to the University of Texas because this is where he wanted to be, it was a childhood dream of his," Sarkisian said. "But he came in with a ton of humility, you know, [he's] an extremely humble young man, he's a great teammate. If his name wasn't Manning on the back of his jersey, you wouldn't know it by the way he carries himself, the type of teammate that he is."

Manning has seen action in all but one game so far this year and garnered national attention when he was forced to step in for first-string quarterback Quinn Ewers after the junior suffered an abdominal strain versus UTSA. Ewers was ruled out for Texas' next two games against ULM and Mississippi State, opening the door for Manning to make his first career start.  

Across the four games he's played in, Manning has totaled 901 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and sits at an 83.9 percent pass completion rate. Since appearing on the field against UTSA, he has received Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Player of the Week and SEC Co-Freshman of the Week honors.  

Sarkisian mentioned that the relationship between the two quarterbacks has fueled Manning's ability to perform at a high level under pressure, as Ewers was even able to speak with Manning through an earpiece during both games he started in. However, Sarkisian also said that Manning's determination to grow as an athlete is what has propelled him to see early success on the field.   

"I think the rapport that he and Quinn have with one another has led to a lot of his success because I think he's very coachable, he wants to learn, he can learn from others," Sarkisian said. "But his development I think has been the biggest key from where he was a year and a half ago when he first got here in spring practice to the way he played last weekend. That's a credit to his work ethic, it's a credit to the staff of working with him."

It'll be expected that Ewers will enter the 2025 NFL Draft in the spring, passing on the torch to Manning to become the next Longhorn starting quarterback. Sarkisian reiterated the importance of having Manning as a backup for now, but also how Manning's opportunities to start this season will allow him to prepare to fill Ewers' big shoes.  

"[I'm] proud of him for what he is able to accomplish and we're in a very fortunate situation to have a starter like Quinn, but to have the capable backup in Arch is huge for us from a long-term perspective," Sarkisian said. 

Ewers is set to start in Texas' historic matchup against the Oklahoma Sooners in Dallas come Oct. 12 for the Red River Rivalry, a game that Sarkisian confirmed would not include Manning despite his impressive efforts within the past three weeks.