Texas quarterback Arch Manning tempered expectations last week at SEC Media Days, reminding the nation he hasn’t actually earned some of the preseason accolades that have come his way this summer. Manning, a former five-star and top-ranked recruit in the 2023 signing class, is set to be QB1 for the first time in his career with more hype than any first-year starter in the country.
Manning’s humility reminds former Texas coach Mack Brown of his former All-American and national championship-winning quarterback for the Longhorns — Vince Young.
“He also seems like he listens. He’s very humble,” Brown said during an appearance on “The Stampede” podcast.”He said too much has been written about me, more than I’ve accomplished. I mean, he is kind of self-deprecating. But I like it. He’s a whole lot like Vince at the same age.”
Young helped Texas to its last national championship under Brown to end the 2005 season with an 8-yard touchdown run at the Rose Bowl over USC with 19 seconds to play. He’s considered the greatest quarterback in program history and set a lofty bar others have been trying to reach.
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Brown went 158-48 at Texas with a slew of difference-makers under center, including Colt McCoy, and knows talent at the position when he sees it. At North Carolina later in his coaching career, Brown had two quarterbacks he recruited selected in the NFL Draft — Sam Howell and Drake Maye.
Manning redshirted during the 2023 season and played behind Quinn Ewers last fall, showing off in spot duty and in two starts against inferior competition with the Longhorns’ starter on the mend.
The heralded backup threw nine touchdown passes and averaged 4.3 yards per carry.
“I was so impressed with [Manning] at media day,” Brown said. “Steve Spurrier said if he’d been that good, he would have started over Quinn, and they asked him about it and he said, ‘Oh, Coach Spurrier is a great coach. Next question.’ So he was smooth, and he’s been raised right.”
The SEC runner-up last season, Texas begins the 2025 season against the defending national champions. Ohio State brings back Heisman candidate Jeremiah Smith and All-American safety Caleb Downs, two players widely-considered the best at their position in the sport.
Battling the Buckeyes is a tough assignment for Manning, given the pressure he’s under as the new face of the Longhorns and preseason Heisman frontrunner.
“We’re opening with the champs,” Manning said of the season opener. “It’s going to be a fun one. I learned a lot from Quinn; he was damn good on the road. I’m going to text him, get some of his advice, and we’ll fire up. Ohio State is a really good team, so it’s going to be a good challenge.”
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