Longhorns Daily News: It has been one year today since Arch Manning pledged his commitment to Texas.
Texas backup quarterback Arch Manning, nephew of Hall of Famer Peyton Manning and two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning, saw action in the second half of the Longhorns’ 52–0 victory over Colorado State on Saturday, marking the first touchdown pass of his college career.
The redshirt freshman’s debut has been highly anticipated, but he remains behind veteran Quinn Ewers, a potential All-America candidate. Despite the transfer-heavy trend in college football, Manning has chosen to stay at Texas, working diligently to become the starting quarterback once Ewers moves on.
Peyton Manning expressed his support, stating on The Pat McAfee Show, “I’m proud of Arch. Most kids probably wouldn’t have stayed in that situation. He chose Texas because he wanted to play there and be coached by Steve Sarkisian… I’m glad he’s sticking with it. He and Quinn have a strong relationship, and I think Quinn is going to have a great year.”
With Ewers’ injury history and Texas’s tendency to dominate weaker opponents, Manning is expected to see more playing time this season. Texas will face Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday afternoon in a highly anticipated matchup for the second week of the college football season.
More than two years after Arch Manning’s commitment, the Texas Longhorns continue to reap the benefits. Last month, the Longhorns secured a significant commitment from 2026 five-star quarterback Dia Bell of American Heritage in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Bell is the first recruit for Steve Sarkisian’s 2026 class.
And according to Bell in an interview with On3, the track record of Sarkisian, and the decision of Manning to trust the Longhorns with his development both played major roles in his own choice.
“For me, it was honestly coach Sark has a great background of quarterbacks back at Alabama. Obviously, he’s coached in the NFL, too, so he has the whole nine when it comes to coaching,” Bell said in the interview. “Obviously like you said, they’ve got guys like Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning. For me, it was kind of a no-brainer when you look at his background.”
“Knowing that the Manning family was very comfortable sending their pride to Texas was also another factor. They have to know that they know what they’re doing over there, or else he wouldn’t be going there. All those things played a factor, and also I felt like I had a great fit with the culture around there. Those all played factors in me picking Texas.”
