Steve Sarkisian Draws National Attention for Arch Manning Decision as Texas QB Debate Invites Intense Scrutiny

With Quinn Ewers off to chase Sundays. The Texas Longhorns head coach is handing the keys of a national title contender to the most hyped quarterback recruit of the modern era—Arch Manning. The name alone carries seismic expectations, but now it’s real. No more mop-up duty, no more clipboard on the sideline. Arch is QB1 in Austin. And with that move, the college football world is split: some see generational greatness, others aren’t convinced. The scrutiny is thick, and Steve Sarkisian is squarely at the center of it.

One insider on The Next Round podcast framed it with a glass-half-full vibe, but stopped short of crowning Arch Manning as the next great. “I just think he’s going to be as good as Quinn Ewers. I don’t know that he’s going to be like world-beater better. I’m not one of those that think he is just going to be, you know, the best quarterback we’ve ever seen,” the insider said. “But I think if he’s as good as Quinn Ewers—and maybe this is like a really good wine, you need the right guy to know when to pop the bottle, right?”

The analogy didn’t stop there. The insider compared Texas’ QB succession to Green Bay’s decades-long masterclass in transition. From Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers, then to Jordan Love. “Going back to Green Bay has handled quarterbacks about as well as you can, right? Yeah, I would agree. When you go from Favre and you got Aaron Rodgers waiting on the sidelines and then when you pull the plug, Favre still got a little bit in the tank, but Aaron comes right in and is automatically one of the best quarterbacks out there. The same when Aaron leaves, he’s got a little bit in the tank, but Jordan Love comes in and he’s automatically one of the best quarterbacks,” he explained.

April 20, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA: Texas Longhorns quarterbacks Arch Manning (16), left, and Quinn Ewers (3) throw passes while warming up ahead of the Longhorns’ spring Orange and White game at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sara Diggins-Imagn Images via American Statesman

“If you’re a Texas fan, you hope that that formula works out for Texas football. I don’t know if anybody can master it as well as Green Bay has over the last 30 plus years, but this is going to be fascinating because if Arch is that good, if I’m a Texas fan, then my question is why wasn’t this guy playing last year and putting us in a position to win an SEC and a national championship?”

That’s the pressure-cooker Steve Sarkisian willingly stepped into. Last year, Manning waited, learned, and flashed—just enough to stir the pot. He threw for 939 yards with 13 total touchdowns and two interceptions while completing nearly 68% of his passes in relief of an injured Ewers. The mechanics are there, the arm talent is real, and his athleticism offers a mobile wrinkle to an already potent Texas offense. But the eye test? Not everyone’s sold.

Enter former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray, who isn’t ready to anoint Arch as the next family legend. “I’m not sold, like so many of the other people are, that this guy is going to be the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, that he’s going to just be unbelievable, that he’s going to be the next coming of Peyton and Eli, but that’s mobile,” Murray said on SiriusXM Radio. Coming from a guy who knows the grind of SEC quarterbacking, that hesitation carries weight.

Texas’s upcoming season will be a must-watch. It’s not just about the transition to the SEC—it’s about whether Arch Manning lives up to the legacy or simply becomes another over-hyped name.

The SEC star questions Texas’ Arch Manning choices

Let’s put it straight. Murray isn’t buying the hype—and he’s not afraid to say it out loud. In a recent conversation stirring the Texas QB1 pot, Murray threw some serious shade at Quinn Ewers while raising eyebrows about Arch Manning’s role on the depth chart. And yep, he said exactly what some Longhorn fans have probably been whispering all along.

“If you are so good and everyone has you projected No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft come 2026, why in the hell are you not playing above a seventh-round quarterback?” Murray asked, calling out Arch Manning’s continued spot behind Ewers. He didn’t stop there. “If Steve Sarkisian knows what he’s doing and he knows how good their roster is… what was holding them back? Ewers. Why was Arch not playing? That rubs me the wrong way a little bit.” Murray even went as far as saying, “Texas had probably the second or third best roster in America. Why were they not competing for a national championship? Because Quinn was holding them back.”

Now, yes, Texas did make the College Football Playoff and nearly pulled off a comeback against Ohio State. Still, when asked about Manning’s upside, Murray didn’t sound sold: “Yeah, it looks good at times. I wouldn’t say it looks incredible. It doesn’t scream first-round talent to me off the back.”

The post Steve Sarkisian Draws National Attention for Arch Manning Decision as Texas QB Debate Invites Intense Scrutiny appeared first on EssentiallySports.