Arch Manning finally drawing praise from Steve Sarkisian at Texas

The golden boy just got his first gold star on the fridge. Now entering year two as Quinn Ewers' backup quarterback at Texas, Arch Manning is more in the spotlight than ever before. There are no Maalik Murphys or Hudson Cards getting in the way of what he thinks is his. All the while, how sure are we that head coach Steve Sarkisian is Manning's guy anymore? A lot has changed since recruitment.

After Tuesday's spring practice, Sarkisian offered the following about Manning's play under center.

"I thought he did a really good job of stepping up in the pocket, keeping his eyes down the field, and delivering the ball under some duress very accurately."

To me, this sounds a lot like a quarterback doing his job in practice. I understand that Manning never asked for any of this unnecessary attention, but his last name gave him no choice in that endeavor. Sarkisian, along with quarterbacks coach A.J. Milwee, is the biggest reason why Manning signed with Texas over Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and Ole Miss. You have to wonder if he has fallen out of favor.

It will be Ewers' team again next year, but he gets hurt every season. It may be Manning's time soon.

Manning has come a long way since losing his student ID on a weekly basis, so this is something!

Steve Sarkisian finally praises Arch Manning for his play while at Texas

The biggest challenge for Manning was not overcoming his last name, but rather his level of comp coming out of high school. He may have played at Isidore Newman in New Orleans, the same private school his father, his two famous uncles and Odell Beckham Jr. played at previously. However, there was always going to be a steep learning curve when it came to making the transition to Power Four.

In truth, I suspect that Manning will play some this season and kind of be okay. Come 2025, he will be the Week 1 starter for the Longhorns. He will play this year and next at Texas before a plethora of options open up for him in 2026. He could turn pro if he balls out next year. Manning could stay put and play a year or more in Austin. He could also transfer to a smaller school if it proves too daunting.

Ultimately, there is going to come a day where Manning is going to have to prove it on the football field. I would legitimately be shocked if Ewers were to play in all 14-plus games the Longhorns take part in. Again, he gets hurt a ton. Manning debuted very briefly at the end of last season, but for Texas to achieve all it wants to in 2024, he will have to play as good as Murphy did during his few starts.

Now is the year for Texas to win it all because the Longhorns are a major pullback candidate in 2025.