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Arch Manning is finally getting his chance to lead the Texas Longhorns in the upcoming season after spending two years as a backup to Quinn Ewers. In limited playing time last year, Manning did well, completing 67.8% of passes for 939 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions.
With high expectations surrounding him and talk of a possible Heisman Trophy run, Manning is facing a mountain of pressure. But not everyone is convinced he’s ready.
On the June 23 episode of "Another Dooley Noted Podcast," former Florida and South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier questioned whether Manning is truly as talented as advertised. He mentioned that Manning did not start in 2024 and suggested that if he were really that good, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian would not have played Ewers "all the time."
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"You have to ask coach Sark, how come you played that one instead of this one?” Spurrier said, via Athlon Sports.
However, former NFL MVP Cam Newton disagreed with this take on Wednesday. Speaking on his podcast “4th & 1,” Newton defended both Ewers and the way Sarkisian handled the situation.
"Ewers was a five-star athlete and No. 1 player coming out of high school. So he wasn't just a bum," Newton said. “Ever since Arch Manning committed to the University of Texas, there's always been this unsung kind of expectation, like how is coach Sarkisian going to treat Quinn Ewers?
"And I think with this particular point, it says a lot how Steve Sarkisian handled this situation, and he handled it beautifully. Even when Ewers got hurt, when he got back healthy, what did Sarkisian do? He didn't give the starting job to Manning."
Steve Sarkisian on Arch Manning’s growth
In an interview on the “Always College Football” podcast with Greg McElroy, Steve Sarkisian said Arch Manning has grown a lot as a leader since coming to Texas as a highly-regarded recruit.
“I don't think I could've predicted a better way for this to go for him," Sark said. "If you didn’t know the name on the back of his jersey, you'd say, ‘Man, what a great teammate this guy is.’”
The praise comes as Texas heads into a big season with high hopes, starting on the road against Ohio State on Aug. 30.
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