It doesn’t matter how many times Texas quarterback Arch Manning has stiff-armed preseason narratives this offseason or downplayed national hype associated with taking over as the starting QB for the Longhorns, polarizing opinions will surface early during his start against Ohio State later this month.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian says Manning is not crippled by the pressure of unfair expectations placed on the shoulders of a 21-year-old whose last name assumes football royalty.
“What I know is what I see every day, and he seems good to me,” Sarkisian said this week in review of Manning’s preseason camp showing thus far. “You know, we visit a fair amount to make sure that what frame of mind is he in, where I think he performs the best. This is going to be a long season, and unfortunately, we live in a world of he’s the greatest ever, or is going to be a bust. And there’s not a lot of in between. And it’s kind of like where we are as a team. We’re either going to be national champs or we’re going to be a bust.
“Like, that’s the mentality outside of our building. We don’t really think that way. I don’t think Arch thinks that way. I think Arch thinks about, ‘what am I doing today to improve? What am I doing today to be the best teammate I can be when the game weeks roll around? What am I doing to prepare to put myself in the best position to perform?’ I just don’t think he’s that concerned.”
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The current preseason Heisman Trophy favorite over at FanDuel Sportsbook, Manning (+750) is coming out of his first fall scrimmage with “fix or six plays” he’d like to have back according to Sarkisian, correctable mistakes over the next few weeks before Texas takes the field against the reigning national champions.
Since the start of offseason workouts and spring practice, Manning has assumed a leadership role for the Longhorns. Texas has rebuilt its offensive line following NFL Draft departures, has enough elite pieces on defenses to cover up interior defensive line questions and is expecting a breakout campaign from sophomore wideout and former five-star Ryan Wingo.
Manning will play a role in every phase of the Longhorns’ anticipated success this season, but he’s not going to base his value on anything said, printed or filmed outside of the games.
“No offense to you guys with what you guys write and say it just I don’t think it matters to him,” Sarkisian said on Monday. “I really don’t. I think it’s more about what do his teammates think about him? And that’s a cool thing to have and so, but I don’t know yet, because we really haven’t gotten into the fire as much as the hoopla has happened.
“We really haven’t gotten into the fire of real games and dealing with that in game, postgame, next week’s game, so on and so forth and really deal with the media that way.”
Live rounds coming for Manning
The extent of Manning’s on-field appearances during the 2024 season came either in mop-up duty behind Quinn Ewers or as the Longhorns’ spot replacement during QB1’s time on the mend in September. Manning threw for 223 yards and four touchdowns on nine completions during a 56-7 win over UTSA, tossed a pair of touchdowns in his first start against ULM and recorded his first SEC win vs. Mississippi State prior to Ewers’ return to the lineup.
There’s some skepticism on how Manning will play against Ohio State in the opener, but it’s not coming from the Buckeyes side. Ryan Day said at Big Ten Media Days that his team is expecting a premiere-level player at Ohio Stadium on the other sideline.
“Arch is a tremendous talent,” Day said last month. “One of the best talents, young guys to come in through college football in a long time. And I think he’s going to be very, very good. One of the best quarterbacks in the country this year. So we know that the challenge is going to be Week 1. We’re working towards that. We’re fired up about having this monster game in Week 1.”
Ohio State’s defense is a shell of last season’s two-deep after heavy NFL Draft losses, but the Buckeyes do welcome back All-American safety Caleb Downs, senior linebacker Sonny Styles and landed UNC pass rusher Beau Atkinson in the portal. Those are three guys who will be pinning their ears back to try and get a crack at Manning on Aug. 30.
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