The spotlight’s squarely on Arch Manning as he gears up to lead the Texas Longhorns offense in 2025. After biding his time behind Quinn Ewers, Manning proved his mettle last season, completing a cool 67.8% of his passes for 939 yards, nine touchdowns, and just two interceptions. When Ewers was sidelined with an injury, Manning stepped up like a pro, gaining invaluable experience. This kid, born with football in his blood, grew up dreaming of playing for Texas. He waited his turn behind Ewers, proving he had more patience than a saint in line at the DMV.

With Ewers likely headed to the NFL, Manning’s moment has arrived, and Texas fans are buzzing with anticipation. Steve Sarkisian, the mastermind behind Texas’ resurgence, is in it for the long haul, giving the Longhorns a solid foundation to chase greatness. And National pundits are already making bold calls. Well, Manning has got the ‘it’ factor. With him under center and Sarkisian pulling the strings, Texas is all set to make a serious run at the national championship. Well, “It’s Arch time 🤘.”

National Recruiting Director Adam Gorney echoed that confidence with a headline-grabbing prediction. Gorney stated, “My prediction is this: Texas loses next season’s opener against Ohio State (and the media has a field day with questions about Manning) and then the Longhorns run the table (we’ll see about the Georgia game) en route to another College Football Playoff run that ends with the title coming back to Austin.” And why not?

Manning’s stats justify the hype. When Ewers missed two games last season, Manning took the reins and delivered. Against Mississippi State and Louisiana Monroe, he completed 68.3% of his passes, racking up 583 yards, four touchdowns, and two picks, while adding 108 rushing yards and four more scores. By the season’s end, his sophomore campaign featured nine passing TDs and only two interceptions.

Still, it’s been a long drought for Texas fans. The Longhorns’ last national title came in 2005. Could this finally be their year? Sarkisian, now in his fourth year, has built a consistent contender. Under his leadership, Texas boasts a 38-17 record, including a jaw-dropping 25-5 over the past two seasons. The Longhorns have reached the College Football Playoff twice, only to falter in the semifinals.

So, is the third time the charm? With Manning’s pedigree, Sarkisian’s savvy, and a hungry fanbase, the stars might just be aligning.

Will Steve Sarkisian still be with Arch Manning in 2025?

Steve Sarkisian is staying in Austin. Despite interest from the NFL, the Texas Longhorns coach has signed a seven-year contract extension, keeping him at the helm through the 2031 season. Reports indicate Sarkisian turned down interview requests from two NFL teams, emphasizing his commitment to the Longhorns. This new deal includes a significant raise, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

While Sarkisian has prior NFL experience as an offensive coordinator with the Raiders and Falcons, and NFL teams are reportedly interested in hiring him, the allure of the NFL might not be enough to entice him away from Texas. For perspective, only seven NFL head coaches earn more than Sarkisian’s $10.3 million annual salary. If he were to pursue an NFL head coaching position, he would likely face a pay cut. Will he make a daring move?

Well, Sarkisian has an 84-52 record, a .618 winning percentage, and a 4-5 bowl game record across his 11-year career at Washington, USC, and Texas. With their first SEC season featuring an SEC Championship Game appearance and a trip to the CFP Semifinals, the Longhorns have quickly turned heads under Coach Sarkisian. Despite the team’s Cotton Bowl loss to OSU, Sarkisian highlighted the difficult aspect of conference competition and took pride in representing the SEC.

As of now, Sarkisian’s choice to stay in Austin is a reflection of both his faith in the program’s future and his assessment of Arch Manning’s potential as the team’s QB1. With the squad winning 5 games in Sark’s first year, eight, twelve, and now thirteen in 2024, his stint at Texas has demonstrated consistent progress.

With Arch Manning playing as quarterback for Sark, a former Heisman winner who, believe it or not, actually rooted for the Longhorns growing up (even though he went to A&M), said, “I think this is what all the Texas fans want. This is what the clamoring and all the hoopla you’ve been hearing all year from them is to put Arch in, so now they get their chance. Now you go from Quinn Ewers to Arch Manning. Things at the quarterback position in Austin are looking pretty good for them so far, but we’ll see how it goes next year.” Yep, those are Johnny Manziel’s words! Now, let’s see if Arch Manning can live up to the hype and lead Texas to a national championship in 2025.