Sarkisian sells Manning on team’s future
AUSTIN — In the end, Arch Manning wasn’t swayed by Alabama’s rings, Georgia’s would-be dynasty or his family’s deep ties to Ole Miss and Tennessee.
Instead, the nation’s most famous high school athlete has hitched his future to Texas, confident in the course secondyear coach Steve Sarkisian has charted for a program that’s veered wildly ever since its breakup with Mack Brown in December 2013. Manning, who committed Thursday but can’t sign a national letter of intent until Dec. 21, would join Houston Madison’s Vince Young as the only No. 1 overall recruits to sign with the Longhorns since 2000.
Securing a commitment from the five-star quarterback out of New Orleans Isidore Newman was a monumental coup for Sarkisian and quarterbacks coach A.J. Milwee, who’d been unrelenting in their pursuit of Eli and Peyton’s nephew since arriving at Texas in January 2021. Texas’ summer triumph also came on the heels of its successful effort to win over Ohio State transfer quarterback Quinn Ewers, the top-ranked recruit in the Class of 2022 before reclassifying to join the Buckeyes last summer.
Signing Ewers last December felt like a seismic moment. And
Manning’s Thursday-morning announcement further crystalized the intoxicating sway of Texas, a blue blood that doesn’t perform like one, a program still untarnished in the eyes of premier recruits even after last season’s historic losing streak and 5-7 record.
Manning didn’t commit because of what the Longhorns haven’y accomplished recently but because of what he believes they can and will achieve. And because he believes in Sarkisian, a reputed offensive play caller who’s groomed a number of highly regarded collegiate quarterbacks, and Milwee, who just about became an honorary Manning during an intense recruiting process.
Texas didn’t need to be “back” to convince Ewers to bolt for Austin. It didn’t need to challenge for a national title or even compete in a single College Football Playoff to be deemed worthy by Manning. And apparently, beating Big 12 doormat Kansas is no longer a prerequisite to signing a topfive recruiting class, as the Longhorns did in 2022 despite last year’s occasionally surreal campaign.
And while name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities at Texas have played a role in other recent signings, Manning comes with built-in celebrity. The money and endorsements follow him, not vice-versa. No, this was strictly a football decision. It’s hard to believe this sort of recruiting magic could exist anywhere but Texas, which has produced just one season of double-digit wins (10-4 in 2018) after reeling off nine straight from 2001-09. This might be even harder to believe: Since 2014, Texas has more top-10 recruiting classes (five) than winning seasons (four).
Of course, Texas touts far more institutional power and resources than 99 percent of its FBS competitors. It just finished up a $175 million expansion at Royal-memorial Stadium, a project that included significant renovations to the locker room, training facilities and staff offices. Celebrities such as Matthew Mcconaughey and Mark Calaway, also known as the WWE’S Undertaker, might swing through practice on the same day as Heisman winners Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams.
All that has helped the Longhorns counteract a decade of middling play to remain a top landing spot for blue-chip recruits.
Still, it wasn’t the dazzling new facilities, brand name or high-profile friends of the program that won Manning’s approval. It was Sarkisian and Milwee and the other players Texas believes can fix this mess, including those who will flock to Austin to play with a quarterback who might eventually hear his named called first in the NFL draft.
It also doesn’t hurt that athletic director Chris Del Conte has been staunch and consistent in his defense of Sarkisian in the wake of a losing season. Manning wouldn’t have joined an uncertain situation, and he’s received assurances that Sarkisian’s job isn’t in danger as he enters Year 2 of a six-year contract that includes $34.2 million in guaranteed payments.
“It was heavy; it was a lot on everybody in the organization from the top down,” Sarkisian said of his first season at Texas. “But because of the losing streak I was able to get a lot of clarity on a lot of things that are issues in our program that we need to get better at, that we do improve upon In the end, CDC (Chris Del Conte) has been a great supporter of mine. And he hired me to come here to do a job. I feel his support, I feel his belief in what we’re doing and the path that we’re on.”
Like Del Conte, Manning has bought into Sarkisian’s vision.
Selling hope to a recruit of Manning’s caliber probably wouldn’t have worked anywhere else. But Texas isn’t really like anywhere else. Now, with six months left before the early signing period, it just has to prove to Manning that his faith wasn’t misplaced.