'He's Really Developed Physically' Steve Sarkisian Praises QB Arch Manning

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian joined draft expert Rich Eisen on Monday to discuss his team, specifically his quarterback room.

Texas Longhorns Arch Manning, 16, during the first fall football camp practice for the Texas Longhorns at Denius Fields on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. / Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

It's no secret that the city of Austin holds two of the most talked about quarterbacks in all of college football. One quarterback is projected to lead his team to its first SEC title game in its first season in the conference while securing a spot in New York for the Heisman ceremony, yet the backup is more notable than he is.

Texas Longhorns football head coach Steve Sarkisian joined Rich Eisen, an NFL draft guru and veteran in the football community, on Monday to discuss the upcoming season for the Longhorns. Naturally, Eisen brought up the question that many outsiders seem to wonder about the Longhorns: what is this quarterback room like?

Sarkisian's group includes fourth-year quarterback Quinn Ewers, the captain of Sark's offense for two of his first three seasons as head coach, as well as sophomore Arch Manning, the nephew of two of the greatest players to ever throw a football in the SEC. Despite the anticipation that Manning brings, having been the No. 1 quarterback in the class of 2023, Sarkisian talked to Eisen about his plans to not rush the quarterback in.

Texas Longhorns Arch Manning, 16, during the first fall football camp practice for the Texas Longhorns at Denius Fields on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. / Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

"We're trying to develop those guys where they're at in the stage of their career," Sarkisian said. "Behind the scenes, the development Arch has had from year one to year two has been tremendous, as well."

Sarkisian noted that he hopes to see Manning touch the field plenty of times this year, joking that that would mean the Longhorns were a pretty good football team.

While Manning sometimes overshadows Ewers in media portrayal and hype for the future of the team, Sarkisian outlined what Ewers means for the younger, in-development quarterback.

"He's got great work ethic, but I think the biggest thing is he's got a great appreciation for (Ewers) too and what (Ewers) has gone through to get to this point," Sarkisian said. "They've got great rapport with one another, great support with one another. It's not the first time we've had multiple NFL-type quarterbacks in the same quarterback room. I think we handle it the right way, we're upfront, we're honest, we push all the guys in there to develop them to be the best that they can be."

Manning enters his second season backing up Ewers, this time slotting in right behind Ewers, instead of as the third string. In 2023, Manning attempted only five passes, all against Texas Tech, as he sat behind both Ewers and Maalik Murphy. Now, with an extra year under his belt and Murphy transferring to become the starting quarterback at Duke, Manning is in line to sub in for Ewers in case of an injury, or in blowout games like last year's week one matchup versus Rice.

Stepping into a new role, it's always important to grow year-to-year as you inch closer to a starting spot. But what does improvement mean as a quarterback heading into their second season with a program, and how does one quantify what Manning has done? Though many fans and people in the media aren't able to directly see the different changes Manning has made, physically and mentally, Sarkisian gave Eisen and the rest of the world insight into what is different about Manning heading into year two.

"Our practices are extremely competitive. I can see the development in his understanding of our scheme, protections, and progressions. He's really developed physically. He's a really well put together guy, he can run, he's extremely athletic," Sarkisian said. "The one thing I love about Arch is his rapport with his teammates. He is an awesome teammate. That's one of the key ingredients to be a great quarterback."

Sarkisian explained how fortunate he is to have Manning be a backup, noting that most teams fear when they have to use a backup, and allowing the rest of us to infer that he's not scared to have Manning play in big games.