Arch Manning Ready To Lead Longhorns After Two Years Of Waiting

After patiently waiting behind Quinn Ewers for two seasons, Arch Manning is finally set to take over as Texas' starting quarterback for the 2025 season.

Manning local reporters in Austin on Thursday, discussing his time on the bench and readiness to lead the program.

Manning acknowledged the difficulty of waiting in the transfer portal era but remained committed to Texas throughout the process.

"It was tough.

I mean, it's tough in this age," Manning said of the waiting.

"But I hope it pays off.

There's nowhere else I want to be.

I want to be at Texas.

I've got friends here; I love this place.

So I want to be the quarterback at the University of Texas." "Sometimes it's worth the wait," he added.

Manning takes over a Texas program with championship aspirations after the Longhorns reached the College Football Playoff semifinals last season before falling to eventual national champion Ohio State.

The Longhorns and Buckeyes will meet in Columbus to open the 2025 season in Manning's first major test.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian praised Manning's competitive nature and leadership during spring practice, which is approximately halfway complete.

"I think Arch is a naturally competitive guy.

And I've said this before, he's got a very infectious personality.

I think people gravitate to him," Sarkisian told reporters Tuesday.

Manning gained valuable experience in 2024, appearing in nine games with two starts when Ewers was injured.

He completed 61 of 90 passes for 939 yards and nine touchdowns against two interceptions, while adding 108 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

"Anytime you get game reps, that's just such a help, and I'm really glad I got to play those games," Manning said.

"It's also a good way for me to play in front of people, in front of 100,000, so that was definitely the biggest thing for me." Despite the spotlight that comes with the Manning name, Manning has worked to maintain a normal college experience.

"That's been tough," he said about the attention.

"I think I have good people to lean on for that type of stuff.

But...

I can't quit doing normal things.

I'm gonna go eat dinner with my buddies and be a normal college kid." Manning enters the season as the betting favorite for the Heisman Trophy according to BetMGM, with expectations to lead Texas to its first national championship since 2005.

Manning is also widely considered the highest rated quarterback in college football in terms of NFL potential as a candidate to go first overall whether he declares for the draft in 2026 or 2027.

Sarkisian has also prepared Manning for the inevitable criticism that comes with the position.

"The boos are gonna come here pretty soon, too," Sarkisian said.

"I love our fans.

They love the backup quarterback, but they hate interceptions, so those are coming." "I've learned that you can't ride the emotional roller coaster," Manning responded.

"You've just got to stay straight.

It's great when you win, it's great when you lose it's not great when you lose.

But you've just got to keep that same mindset.".

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