When someone says you run like your grandfather, that is usually a bad thing. That does not apply when we are talking about Arch Manning.
The latest generation of football's first family is about to begin his first season as the Texas Longhorns starting quarterback. I have written about this a ton in saying Manning is more of a thrower than a runner, so Steve Sarkisian's quote does not surprise me.
In a Q&A with ESPN's Pete Thamel, Sarkisian touched on Manning's hot, nasty speed. Yes, he has some wheels, brother. That is not what you think of when talking about his two Super Bowl-winning uncles. When it comes to overall foot speed, Eli and Peyton Manning probably came out of the womb wearing knee-high orthopedic socks. Manning's father Cooper used to run like Grandpa Red, though.
Sarkisian is aware of Manning's unique skill set that could make him the next Vince Young at Texas.
"I think there's something that's unique about Arch. You can watch him throw and you see when you get up on him in person, man, he's a bigger guy than maybe people think. When you watch him throw, the arm talent and the deep ball is there. Then you watch him move and you're like, 'wait, this guy's a better athlete than I thought.'"
People tend to forget his grandfather Archie Manning was a dual-threat player back in the day, too.
"Definitely got Grandpa's gene. It's not the uncles, he got Grandpa's gene. There's an infectious leadership that he has, that I don't want to say is unintentional because he intentionally leads. You can feel that. But the unintentional leadership ability he has, players gravitate to him, they want to be around him."
Archie's oldest son Cooper is Arch's father, the one who almost played wide receiver at Ole Miss...
Steve Sarkisian has the need for speed when it comes to Arch Manning
We have seen Manning's athleticism be on display since his days in high school. He was dunking the ball left and right while playing forward on the Isidore Newman Greenies' basketball team. During his second season at Texas, we often saw Manning run off-tackle to move the sticks in between snaps of Quinn Ewers chucking it long somewhere. In time, Manning will certainly become a precision passer.
Truth be told, I do not think that is going to matter a ton in his third season at Texas and his first as the starting quarterback. Sarkisian is a brilliant offensive mind, one who recruited Manning out of high school and has been his head coach every step of the way. This is why I fully expect for the Longhorns offense to be a bit more simplified this year, as opposed to what we just saw with Ewers.
The threat of the run, which is not something in Ewers' back of tricks, will in turn open up wider passing lanes for Manning to rifle the pigskin through. It is Manning's dual-threat playmaking abilities that make him such an intriguing prospect to watch develop for years to come. The question is will he deliver a national championship like Young did in 2005, or become the better version of Sam Ehlinger.
The best part is Manning does not have to claim that Texas is back, as Ewers has already proven so.