With Steve Sarkisian at the helm, Texas Football seems to be in safe hands. Having won the Big 12 championship in 2023 and a playoff appearance last season, Sarkisian still has a lot to do in Texas. When Quinn Ewers was with the Longhorns, Sarkisian did not have to worry enough about the offense. But now that Ewers is heading to the NFL, there is growing concern about the prized position. It’s not that Texas lacks a successor. Arch Manning seems to be the heir apparent. However, while Manning is expected to shine in Austin, there’s one significant hurdle he must overcome before officially stepping into the starting role.

Manning comes with an overwhelming family legacy. There’s his grandfather, Archie Manning, and uncles Peyton and Eli Manning. Not only does he have the weight of those names on his shoulders, but he’s also touted to be a contender for the 2025 Heisman trophy. A 2023 recruit, Manning was ranked the No.1 overall prospect and a top QB in the country by 247Sports. Just behind Quinn Ewers, Manning has a total of 969 passing yards and 9 touchdowns. If you see, these are not bad numbers for a quarterback who has appeared in just 12 games so far. Even at spring practice, he was easily the star of the show. But despite all the hype, could there be a challenge Sarkisian needs to address before the season kicks off in August?

Now, filling in Ewers’ shoes is never going to be easy. But you can not ignore the kind of support Ewers had during his time with the Longhorns. Apart from Ewers, Sarkisian also lost his top-3 wide receivers, offensive linemen, and a tight end from the last season. But the problem does not stop just there. A quarterback’s success heavily depends on his ability to control the ball, and that’s an area where Manning might not yet match up to Ewers. And one renowned NCAA football analyst didn’t hold back in his assessment.

In a March 28 video of Inside Texas Football, Eric Nahlin shared what he made of Manning’s performance. “Arch is being smart with the football,” he said. But, he also questioned his ability to retain the ball. “Going into next year, how well will he protect the ball? We know he’s very aggressive. He wants to throw it downfield, and he’s doing that quite a bit. He’s hit a number of deep play-action passes.”

But it seems like Manning has been working on this aspect during practice. Nahlin reiterated that he was being “smart with the ball,“ and that he was “protecting it, taking the check downs.”

He also briefly compared Manning with Ewers, saying, “Maybe he picked up some good things from Quinn Ewers.” He noted that there was a difference in “quarterback personality” between the two. “Arch is always trying to push the ball down the field; Quinn [was] taking what’s given to him…I think Arch is definitely tapping into that; take the check downs, get the running backs involved, and live for another play,” Nahlin added.

Manning knows that he will face an insurmountable number of expectations and an equally overwhelming pressure to meet them. He has actually cut his weight from 225 to 222 lbs, as noted in the team’s roster. He has to learn a lot, and he looked quite good at the practice. Anwar Richardson of Orangebloods.com said that he “looked like a veteran.” Richardson noted, “Throwing the deep ball he looked fantastic. He had an amazing over-the-shoulder pass to Ryan Wingo. He threw the short routes especially well. Had a nice pass I saw to freshman Daylon McCutcheon.” Richardson noted.

Looks like Sarkisian will not have much to worry about with Manning at the helm of the offense. In other areas too, the HC seems pretty content and set for the season.

Steve Sarkisian, with Arch Manning in camp, makes a bold portal move

Steve Sarkisian is doing things a lot differently this season compared to other coaches. Unlike them going helter-skelter at the transfer portal, the Texas HC is doing things his own way. He decided to stay put and work on making great names out of his in-house talent. This is despite Sarkisian losing some big names to the draft, like Isaiah Bond and Matthew Golden.

Yes, the WR room looks a little problematic with the absence of these names. But Sarkisian willfully refrained from getting one from the transfer portal, despite being able to do so. “Financially, we know they could,” On3’s J.D. PicKell highlighted. But Sarkisian seems confident with the talent in the room, given his reputable coaching career with the department. Arch Manning will have Ryan Wingo and DeAndre Moore by his side, who are also just as fresh.

In all, Sarkisian seems pleased enough with the team as it looks at the moment. He has one of college football’s biggest names—and talents in his camp, and they are bound to deliver some great feats. Texas will look to do even better than what they clocked in last year. Do you think they will be able to deliver? Share your thoughts in the comments below.