Spring- a time when the seeds you sowed and then nurtured finally blossom. That resilience Arch Manning showed, waiting in the wings behind Quinn Ewers as he honed his skills, now has a platform. Texas began spring camp later than most, owing to their deep playoff run last year. Rejuvenated and retooled, preparation is finally underway.  Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns are starting down the barrel of another treacherous season in the SEC. With merely 15 practices, there’s no standing on ceremony. The burnt orange rocketship has lift-off. News reverberating out of Austin reports clear skies.

Pre-season before a new quarterback is poised to take charge is always an exciting time. More so when the QB is a Manning. Naturally, fans have been feigning for updates out of camp. They’ve paid their dues alongside him, waiting for his ascension through the depth chart. Their yearning has been reciprocated via Orangebloods’ insider Anwar Richardson. Who’s got a couple of intriguing updates from Day 1 of Texas spring practice. Not merely limited to Arch Manning, but even his receiving corps. Richardson took to X and prefaced his update by breaking the 4th wall. 

“Day 1 of spring practice and no Arch Manning update? Haha, preposterous!” he exclaimed. Richardson has his finger on the pulse of the fervor surrounding Arch’s first camp as QB1. No wonder he’s playing around given he’s privy to that very update. “Arch Manning looked the part on day one. He won and looked like a veteran. He looked like it wasn’t his first rodeo. And of course, we know it’s not his first rodeo because he had two starts last season.” said Richardson. Indeed, Arch has reps as a starter after he stepped in for Ewers when the latter was nursing an oblique injury. He’s also got playing time outside those two games. Sark utilized Arch Manning’s ability to move the sticks with his legs in certain 3rd and 4th down scenarios over the course of the ‘24 season. Anwar Richarson proceeded to delve into the intricacies of the practice.

“Throwing the deep ball, [Arch Manning] looked fantastic. [He had an] amazing over the shoulder pass to Ryan Wingo. Threw the short routes especially well. [He] had a nice pass to freshman Daylan McCutcheon,” he said. Texas’ WR room has seen a huge turnover this off-season. Matthew Golden and Isaiah Bond, their top two wideouts last year, are going pro. Wingo’s got to pick up the slack as the heir to the vacated perimeter, and Arch will have to contend with losing a couple of potent weapons. Richardson’s update bodes well for Arch’s chemistry and connection with Wingo. A QB is no good without his supporting cast, so the tandem being on the same page is requisite. They don’t have much room for growing pains either.

Steve Sarkisian and Texas have the small matter of travelling to Columbus in Week 1. The Longhorns open their season against the National Champion Buckeyes. Meaning Arch Manning’s first assignment as the starter is throwing his receivers open against that Caleb Downs-led OSU secondary. This is baked into why this spring camp has a particularly high amount riding on it. This update via Richardson does quell a lot of concerns about how Texas’ offense will enter this new era ft. Arch Manning. An era that, begrudgingly, has attracted partisan accusations of nepotism.

Steve Sarkisian forced to reiterate Arch Manning’s merit for being Texas QB1

Nepotism insportst became part of mainstream discourse well before Bronny James got drafted to the Lakers. However, that inclusion did fan the flames of it. Flames that have made their way to Arch Manning. That surname sure carries weight around the football sphere, it’ll be delusional to suggest otherwise. The great Archie Manning, alongside his sons Peyton and Eli, are etched into the annals of quarterbacking history. But scratch the surface and you’d realize rather quickly Arch is at UT on merit.

Arch Manning is a 5-star recruit out of high school. His tape speaks for itself, and so does the production he put up. Even if his jersey read a different name, Arch would’ve been at a blueblood or adjacent college program. Alas, the naysayers in this scenario aren’t the kind that can be reasoned with. But Steve Sarkisian has attempted to do so “He’s just a normal guy. Like I always say, if you took the name off the back of his jersey and just let him go live life, he wouldn’t have to change. He would be who he is. He’s a great teammate. He works harder than anybody, like the best guys do.” said Sark while he guested over the “Off the Edge” podcast with Cam Jordan.

The stage is well and truly set for Arch Manning to thwart these accusations. Head into the Shoe on August 30, and get a W on the Ohio State Buckeyes. While he’s sharing the field with a fellow Heisman-candidate. That’ll have the nepotism discourse dissipate in real-time. But fall is still a far way away. For now, he’ll seek to get through spring healthy and more settled into Sark’s offense. Keep connecting on darts with Ryan Wingo, and keep giving guys such as Anwar Richardson reason to hook ‘em.