It hasn’t been easy, but Arch Manning is embracing the time he spent as a backup quarterback and can’t wait to take the reins of the Texas Longhorns offense. In a media availability after Thursday’s spring practice session, Manning went into what it was like to be Quinn Ewers understudy, the pressure to leave UT in the current age of college football and why he never transferred.
“It was tough. I mean, it’s tough in this age,” Manning said. “But, I hope it pays off. Like I said, there’s nowhere else I want to be. I want to be at Texas. I got friends here. I love this place. I wanted to be the quarterback at the University of Texas. Sometimes it’s worth the wait.”
In the old days, a No. 1 recruit in the nation waiting his turn wasn’t a big story. If he wasn’t happy, he’d have to sit a year to play somewhere else. But with the ease of the modern transfer portal and the money offered to lure players away from their current programs, Manning is now the anomaly.
Manning credited now former Texas QB Quinn Ewers for making the situation a positive.
“He’s just been so good to me over the years,” Manning said. “It’s probably pretty annoying having me as the backup, just with all of the media stuff. But he handled it like a champ and he was so good to me along the way.”
Manning started his career in 2023 as the third-string QB behind Ewers and Maalik Murphy. Before the 2024 season, Murphy transferred to Duke (He’s since transferred again to Oregon State), opening the door for Manning to step into the primary backup QB role with four full years of eligibility left. Manning started two games after Ewers went down with a torn oblique and played in several more.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian has been impressed at how Manning has never wavered.
“I’m excited for him,” Sarkisian said on the Clean Pocket podcast with Colt McCoy. “He’s been patient. How many people have come after him from other schools to get him to transfer? He’s stayed the course and stayed true to his word, so we’re pumped about him.”
Already famous enough to get a profile in GQ, and from a famous family of star quarterbacks, Manning’s celebrity will only increase as UT’s QB1. The Louisiana native says dealing with fame isn’t easy.
“That can be tough,” he said. “I feel like I have good people to lean on for that type of stuff. But I can’t quit doing normal things. Like, I’m going to have dinner with my buddies and be a normal college kid.”
Manning’s primary focus these days is working with the first team offense in spring drills and getting his young receiving corp up-to-speed before the fall.
“It’s been good getting these young guys up to speed,” Manning said. “I’ve been really impressed with Parker (Livingstone) and Daylan McCutcheon is really good. He’s coming along well and he’s getting the hang of things.”
Manning’s leadership is already on full display. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian says it comes natural to Manning.
“The leadership … This guy has got a charismatic, some ‘it’ about him,” Sarkisian told Colt. “You can feel it. That’s not a knock against Quinn. Everybody leads differently. He’s got something about him that guys gravitate to. That’s always a great thing to have as a quarterback.”
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