Texas football enters the 2023 season with very high expectations after going 8–5 a year ago. The Longhorns player who is probably the most recognizable to the average fan likely won’t see the field in any meaningful capacity this year, though.
Freshman Arch Manning, nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, began his collegiate career this year, leaving high school early to enroll in Austin in the winter. That gave him the chance to participate in spring practice, a valuable opportunity for the young quarterback, but one that knocked the immense hype around the 18-year-old down a peg or two.
Manning struggled mightily in Texas’s spring game, going just 5-for-13 for 30 passing yards on the day.
That performance doesn’t worry coach Steve Sarkisian, however. During an appearance on the Always College Football podcast Wednesday, Sarkisian made it clear that Manning is on the right path, reminding fans that he should still be finishing up his senior year of high school.
“I felt like I needed to remind everybody, on our spring game, the guy should have been at the Senior Car Wash raising money for prom or something,” Sarkisian said, speaking to Greg McElroy. “He still should have been in high school at that game. It was invaluable experience for him to be with us and to get a lot of that newness out.
“He’s a normal guy with us and he’s a normal guy for himself and in and around the building. But for everybody else, when you carry the name, it comes with those expectations. So, I think for him to realize how to balance those types of things, in the end he’s on a great trajectory for us.”
Assuming all goes according to plan for Texas, Manning will be able to use this year to watch and develop. Starting quarterback Quinn Ewers returns, after throwing for 2,177 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions as a freshman in 2022, and looks to take the next step in ’23. He’ll likely be backed up by redshirt freshman Maalik Murphy, who impressed in the spring game.
