He did not sign up for this, but in a way, he kind of did. Arch Manning cannot choose who is immediate family is, but he did take his five-star talent coming out of high school in New Orleans and brought it to Austin. The Texas Longhorns have made it to the College Football Playoff semifinals in back-to-back seasons, both of which with Manning on the team, but serving as their backup quarterback.
With former starter Quinn Ewers off to the NFL, it is all about Manning this fall in Austin. He has shown signs that he can be a star quarterback in the SEC, but few places are under as much scrutiny in college football than Texas. One would argue it is Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian's turn to join Clemson's Dabo Swinney, Georgia's Kirby Smart and Ohio State's Ryan Day as a national champion.
To help make that dream a reality, Sarkisian's staff has done a remarkable job of relelntlesly attacking the transfer portal this spring. So far the Longhorns have landed the likes of former California Golden Bears tight end Jack Endries, former Maryland Terrapins defensive lineman Lavon Johnson and former Texas State Bobcats kicker Mason Shipley. All three players are coming to help out Manning.
Texas enters the 2025 college season as one of four locks to make the College Football Playoff.
The continuation of a strong portal recruiting day for Texas. Today alone, Texas has landed:
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) April 19, 2025
— The No. 1 tight end in the transfer portal
— The most coveted kicker in the portal
— A defensive lineman who had been set to be a starter for a Big 10 team before entering the portal https://t.co/cmK4d7UFmm
Texas will compete with Georgia in the SEC, as well as Clemson, Ohio State and Penn State nationally.
Texas Longhorns are doing their part to ensure Arch Manning of succcess
This spring was all about letting everyone know that the 2025 Longhorns are about to be Manning's team. Fall camp should be about getting ready for a brutal season opener in Columbus vs. defending national champion Ohio State. This is the team that ended Texas' season in the Cotton Bowl back in January. It will be Manning's third career start under center for the Longhorns. Will he be ready for it?
The great news for him is Ohio State will also be breaking in a new quarterback. It looks to be a two-man race in Columbus between the more seasoned Lincoln Kienholz and the more talented Julian Sayin, with the hometown freshman Tavien St. Clair finishing a distant third after their spring scrimmage. Manning should be, and will be, getting all the first-team reps for the Longhorns now.
Truth be told, the additions of Endries, Johnson and Shipley will only move the needle so much at Texas. This team will sink or swim based on the play and development of Manning, as well as Sarkisian progressing into being one of the very best head coaches in the entire sport. I may like Clemson and Penn State's team more than Texas' this spring, but a lot can change between now and early January.
Regardless, we seem to be running out of excuses to defend a slow start for Manning out of the gate.