Tough Arch Manning Stance Bursts Texas Bubble After Steve Sarkisian’s Clear Message on Quinn Ewers Legacy

Texas fans….You all might want to hold off on booking flights to Atlanta. The hype train? It’s speeding out of Austin like it’s late for a barbecue, but a few folks just threw some nails on the tracks. The Longhorns hit No. 1 in 247Sports’ post-spring rankings, Arch Manning sitting pretty atop the Heisman odds at +600, and folks are talking ‘natty or bust’ before Week 1 even hits. But not everybody’s sipping burnt orange Kool-Aid. Some SEC insiders just crashed the party—and they poured an ice bucket over Arch Manning and Texas hype.

So here’s the deal: on May 9th, Chris Gordy brought on a panel of SEC heads—John Williams (Locked On Sooners), John Miller (Locked On Mizzou), and Corey Burton—to chop it up on the ‘Locked On LSU’ podcast. Topic? That No. 1 ranking and the Arch Manning madness. Chris asked the loaded question, “Is this all Arch Manning hype? Is this just love for Sark because they made the playoffs two straight years? Or is Texas bonafide the number one team in the country?” 

John Williams didn’t hold back for a second: “Listen—the Texas Longhorns are the Dallas Cowboys. Anytime that the media is going to get an opportunity to hype them up, they’re going to take it. Because the Texas Longhorns are going to create that buzz. It’s just a matter of fact. I mean, it is what it is. They have been waiting for Texas to be back for a decade and a half.” And double downs, “Finally, Texas lived up to the hype, made the playoff in back-to-back years, and they could not wait to rank Texas number one in the preseason.”

And real talk, Williams isn’t lying. Texas has been the media’s golden child since flip phones. The Longhorns were in the dark pit for the last 15 years. Ever since Colt McCoy and Vince Young dipped, the Longhorns were like a total joke until Quinn Ewers came to Austin.  Now, yeah, they are back-to-back CFP semifinalists. All thanks to Quinn Ewers. And yeah, Sark finally got this thing out of the ditch. But No. 1? That isn’t a given. Ohio State, Oregon, Clemson—they are all breathing down Texas’ neck.

But then came the body blow. Williams clapped back at the Arch Manning worship: “[He’s] got the tools. But we saw what happened when he played a legitimate team in Georgia. The lights were way too bright for my man.” He was talking about that Georgia game, where Arch came in down 20-zip, went 3-of-6 for 19 yards, and didn’t sniff the end zone.

That Georgia game? Ugly. No cap. Ewers got benched after 17 passing yards and a pick. Arch came in, looked like a deer in headlights, and boom—the game was basically cooked by halftime. Then Quinn Ewers dropped back in and started to sling, throwing 200+ yards and 2 touchdowns, but it was too late. Dawgs handled business, 30-15. Not exactly a Heisman film for Arch Manning.

Nobody’s saying Arch Manning is trash. His 2024 numbers are solid: 67.8% completion rate, 939 yards, 9 TDs, 2 picks, and 4 rushing scores. That UTSA game? Nuts. 4 passing TDs, one nasty 67-yard scamper. Earned SEC Freshman of the Week. With due respect, he got Manning sauce. Just didn’t prove against the killers.

Steve Sarkisian defends Quinn Ewers’ legacy at Austin

Now flip it. While folks are picking apart Arch’s first L under the big lights, Sarkisian is out here going full big brother mode defending his OG—Quinn Ewers. Because no matter what shade folks want to throw, that man did put Texas back on the map.

“Quinn Ewers decided to come to the University of Texas when we were a 5-7 football team,” Sark told Josh Pate on 247Sports. “We owe a ton to Quinn.” He isn’t wrong. Sark was drowning in Year 1. Then Ewers showed up, and everything flipped. Let’s talk facts: Quinn Ewers went 27-9 as a starter. He tossed for over 9,100 yards, 68 touchdowns, and dragged Texas to back-to-back College Football Playoff semifinals. He didn’t lose a single true road game until his final season. The man went to Bama and handled Nick Saban. Went to Michigan and worked them pretty good. Like Jon Gruden, ‘Road Warrior’ and ‘Ice-man.’ And Ewers played hurt every year and still balled his heart out.

And the disrespect he got? Wild. Like Sark said, “Everyone got a comment about kids chasing money, but here’s Quinn turning down the bag to stay loyal, and now folks mad he went pro?” Word is, Ewers had $8M on the table from Big Ten schools. Instead, he bet on himself—took a $4.3M NFL contract and dipped out as a Texas legend. And here it is—the truth, according to Sark. “If Quinn doesn’t come, I don’t know if the next five guys are coming. And if those five ain’t coming, I don’t know if the next ten coming.” That’s legacy talk.

Now, Arch Manning is next—no doubt. But let’s not act like the runway wasn’t paved in blood, sweat, and spirals by the guy before him. That Week 1 banger against Ohio State? That’s the litmus test. If Arch shines, he’s up. If not, the SEC wolves are going to feast. Simple. So what now? It’s all eyes on that Week 1 showdown vs. Ohio State. Revenge time for the people of Austin. Circle it. That game will say more about Arch than any odds or offseason hype ever could. Either he’s the real deal, or he’s just another headline kid with a famous last name.

Texas is finally back. But don’t get caught up in the smoke. Let the season breathe. Let Arch Manning cook. And maybe, just maybe, remember who built the damn kitchen.

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