LONGHORNS HOOK A BIG ONE
Landing prized quarterback recruit arch manning changes everything for Texas
All roads always lead back to the SEC. Texas still will be part of the Big 12 when Arch Manning arrives on campus next year as maybe the most scrutinized young quarterback in college football history. The Longhorns should remain a member of the conference through the 2024 season before leaving for the SEC, along with rival Oklahoma.
A middle-of-the-road Big 12 team for more than a decade, Texas doesn’t have the recent pedigree to suggest the program immediately can contend for championships when facing off against Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M and more.
But what Texas landed Thursday is a commitment from a generational passer capable of putting the Longhorns back on the national map and easing the transition into the SEC’s weekly grind.
In a quarterback-driven sport and in an SEC rapidly becoming defined by quarterback play, Manning has the potential to change the equation across the board: for an offense long stuck in a desperate search for an elite passer; for second-year coach Steve Sarkisian, who now holds ultimate job security after a miserable debut season; and for Texas as a whole, which can develop Manning in his first two seasons and have him more than ready to lead the charge into a new conference.
For a program that has lost its way over and over again since losing to Alabama in the national championship game in 2009, Manning gives Texas the chance to reboot and refocus around a singular talent capable of meeting and exceeding the hype.
While following dozens of other recruiting victories under four head coaches during this span, the commitment Thursday feels like a watershed moment.
Suddenly, the thought of leaping right into the SEC seems less daunting and more promising for Sarkisian and the Longhorns.
The next two years will be crucial. From a development perspective, Manning first must win the starting job, which is expected to be held this season by five-star redshirt freshman Quinn Ewers. Sarkisian and his staff have to keep adding depth to a roster still playing catch-up to the top programs in the Football Bowl Subdivision, and having Manning in the fold is expected to put Texas in the running for the top signing class in this cycle.
The chance to gain experience against Texas Tech and Kansas State before leading the Longhorns into conference matchups against the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide might be the best thing for Manning’s development.
By the 2025 season, he should be ready to take on not only the SEC but also the spotlight that will come with competing with his own family history.
Uncles Peyton and Eli set school and conference records at Tennessee and Ole Miss, respectively. His namesake, grandfather Archie, also starred at Ole Miss and is one of the legendary figures in conference history.
It’s against this backdrop that Manning will walk into the SEC as a third-year quarterback. By that point, he might be viewed as the best quarterback in the SEC. He might be the top passer in the FBS. He might be the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy. He might be good enough to put Texas on his shoulders and carry it past Oklahoma and into competition for a New Year’s Six bowl.
He also might be a bust. He might never unseat Ewers as the Longhorns’ starter. He might never meet the hype as the No. 1 prospect in his recruiting class. That seems less likely, given Manning’s ability and bloodlines.
The possibilities are almost endless. With two years to prepare for the move, Manning and the Longhorns might be more than ready for life in the nation’s best conference.