The burnt orange train eventually came to a halt at a scarlet-red stoplight. It was actually losing steam down the stretch anyway, but it finally met its match. The end of the Texas Longhorns’ season was pretty anticlimactic. However, HC Steve Sarkisian will take solace from their overall year. It was a new era for the program, being their first year in the SEC post-realignment. Now, another fresh wrinkle in this era is imminent. Peep over the horizon, and Arch Manning is standing there, waiting to ascend over Austin after 2 years in the shadows.
On the surface level, It’s all going to plan for Texas. Hand over the quarterbacking reigns from Quinn Ewers to Arch Manning for a seamless transition to continue their status as contenders. But things in College Football hardly ever work out with this much smoothness and linearity. The transition is bound to throw up some curveballs. As many snaps as Manning has played in his time as the understudy, becoming the starter comes with its own baggage and onus. A plethora of talented 5-star QBS have failed to adapt to the collegiate game. One football savant thinks this uncertainty with Arch Manning could prove to be a fatal flaw in Sark’s hopes to go one better in 2025 and make the Natty.
Over on the “Locked on Nittany Lions” podcast, Penn State fan Zach Seyko and his guest Spencer McLaughlin discussed the contenders for 2025. Naturally, Penn State was at the epicenter of the conversation. Not just because of the platform this discourse was unfolding on either. Penn State is one of those programs that has taken a step forward this off-season. They’ve kept the core of their offense intact and have continuity throughout the roster. Add to this, they’ve uprooted Jim Knowles from Ohio State to be their new DC. Things are on the up in Happy Valley. Conversely, Texas has a new QB in Arch Manning and, therefore, a very different dynamic on offense. Owing to this, McLaughlin stated how a backward step is on the board for Sark’s Longhorns.
who needs a t-shirt cannon when you’ve got an @ArchManning
#HookEm | @TexasFootball pic.twitter.com/lpLKUCn59G
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) January 25, 2025
Spencer McLaughlin said, “When you look at the national title contenders for next season or who we think they are right now, give me the team that has this feel of everyone’s coming back.” This, of course, was in reference to Penn State. “It’s not Texas,” he proceeded to say. “Texas has, I think, an incredibly strong roster… [but are] working in a new quarterback, who I think can be really good, in Arch Manning. But has not started a full season and proven I can go and win 10-12 games in the SEC. That has never been proven. That’s a question mark.”
When Quinn Ewers missed time this season between Week 3 and Week 7, Arch Manning held down the fort in his absence. In fact, he was good enough to the point there was unrest throughout the remainder of the year about his lack of usage via Sark. Not to rehash old wounds, but imagine Sark put Arch in the game on that fateful 2nd and goal in the Cotton Bowl to utilize his legs?
That said, McLaughlin does make a rational point. Manning is very much an unknown quantity over a long stretch of games. The sample size we have of him is commendable but rather small. Add to this, the pressure of expectation about to be bestowed upon his shoulders. If you thought Arch was garnering superstar hype and fervor so far, things are about to go up to 11. Although another quarterback, likely going to be the starter for a fellow blueblood, may be laying claim to his stature as one of the new faces of the sport.
CFB analyst believes a different QB is the “generational” player in the new batch of signal-callers
This revelation from Spencer McLaughlin comes mere days after Jake Crain of “Crain & Company” made a sensational claim. He, too, thinks Arch Manning is most likely about to blossom now that he’s QB1. But he believes Ohio State’s own signal-caller, Julian Sayin, could leave Manning in the dust when it’s all said and done. Sayin was a 5-star recruit coming out of high school and the no.1 player in the class of ‘24. So, this discernment is not hyperbolic. Here’s what Jake Crain had to say about this potential cross-conference rivalry fans may be treated to in the foreseeable.
“[Manning] is going to be a good player for Texas. He’s gonna be in Steve Sarkisian’s offense, but Julian Sayin, I think, could actually be the generational young player in this group of young guys across the country,” said Crain on his YouTube channel. Arch Manning has already got his feet wet on the collegiate level and definitely has a head start right now. But he’s also only now becoming the starter, so the comparisons are fair. With regards to McLaughlin’s statements, whether Arch Manning causes Texas to lose their status as a contender or not is debatable. But they still have their modus operandi from 2024 intact- that defense. Something that will alleviate the pressure on Manning to put points on the board.
Steve Sarkisian is a bonafide offensive whiz. The proof is in the pudding. Albeit that egregious jet-sweep he called on the aforementioned 2nd and goal casts doubt over this moniker. Despite his offensive-mindedness, Texas made the inroads they did, leaning on their defense. That secondary, especially, was stellar. The Longhorns boasted of the no.2 points defense and no.3 total defense. Even though Arch Manning is now part of an evolution at QB and, by extension, the offense as a whole. The defensive personnel are largely still there. Alongside a few additions to the front 7 to compliment the secondary even better. Arch is walking into a good situation. It’s down to him to push the program above the high floor that other parts of the team have afforded them. He has to become a ceiling-raiser.
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