It would not be incorrect to say that the Manning name does carry its weight in the footballing world. And Arch Manning is no stranger to that fact. The name and the prospect of getting the next Peyton Manning or Eli Manning alone should keep Arch Manning in the Texas Longhorns’ star players’ list. Don’t get me wrong, he is a talented player who is also widely touted as the next Heisman winner. But, the Manning name does add a bit of glamour to it. And, that means keeping him around for the future and also free from injuries. So, when there’s even a bit of speculation around him not being fit, tensions start to rise in Longhorn circles. One such incident has been the center of attention recently and merits its own exploration.

While Manning was not playing regularly this season and was only a backup QB, he did feature in the SEC championship against Georgia Bulldogs on 7 Dec. But was immediately taken off after some time with the Texas starting QB Quinn Ewers in the first overtime. This led many fans to speculate if he had a head injury in the game prior to being taken off. So, is there any truth to it?

Well, there have been many reports in the media speculating on the injury. But, there has been an update by Anwar Richardson a Texas State insider, who runs a YouTube fan channel named Orangeblood, “I’ll say this I haven’t really received the real clearcut response if Arch had any kind of head injury in that last game (against Bulldogs) or not, there hasn’t been a clear cut yay or nay on that“. He also provided an update about the status of Manning within the team. So, what’s that?

Richardson added, “What we do know is, they don’t like him getting hit, so that would be the same thing that they’re going to work on with him is that you don’t want him to get hit“. The statement also highlights how important Manning is for Texas for the upcoming season. This is evident from the fact that the team is overprotective of him when he is only a backup QB right now.

However, that doesn’t mean that Manning will not have to step into Quinn Ewers’s shoes in 2025. Moving further, let’s see how is Steve Sarkisian fairing on the injury front.

How is Steve Sarkisian faring in the injury department?

Steve Sarkisian has been facing enough problems on the injury front throughout the season. For instance, Cam Williams (Right Tackle) got a knee injury against the Clemson Tigers in December. Moreover, Isaiah Bond suffered an ankle sprain against the Georgia Bulldogs. Lastly,  Malik Muhammad (CB) also suffered an injury in their quarterfinal playoff game against Arizona State. With several other players on the sidelines, Arch Manning’s injury would certainly aggravate Sarkision’s tensions.

As for Arch Manning would be probably looking forward to the 2025 season after Ewers’s departure is on the cards. With the topmost NIL ranking at $6.6 Million, Arch Manning’s tenure seems to be taking the right trajectory right now. So, what’s next for Manning? A Hiesman? What are your thoughts?