Arch Manning was not ready to compete on the collegiate level upon arrival to Texas in January. He was never going to start for the Longhorns this fall. He was not even going to be the backup!
Both of those things were true throughout the entire regular season and Big 12 Championship. The entire situation looks a little bit different as the College Football Playoff quickly approaches.
Manning will serve as the backup to Quinn Ewers in the Sugar Bowl against Washington. Maalik Murphy entered the transfer portal and is not returning to the program for the final month(+) of the year.
As a result, Manning is bumped from No. 3 to No. 2. God forbid, if Ewers goes down, the five-star freshman would be forced to lead Texas in a semifinal game and potentially the national championship.
Arch Manning is ready!
Should that happens, it would mark just his third appearance of the season after seeing time in the fourth quarter against Texas Tech and handing the ball off in the Big 12 title game. Not ideal!
However, where Arch Manning was not ready to play at the start of the year, he is ready today.
According to Anwar Richardson of Orangebloods.com, the first grandson of football is finally up to speed and has “improved to the point where he can run the entire offense.” That’s a key tidbit of information with his new role as the backup.
Another piece to the puzzle involves Manning’s physique. Part of the decision to forgo his final high school basketball season last spring and start early at Texas had to do with learning the offense. It also had to do with the strength and diet program in Austin.
The Longhorns and Manning worked hard to pack on 15 pounds of muscle.
Manning weighed 210 pounds (soaking wet) upon enrollment.
Richardson says that he is currently up to 225.
Regardless of what happens in the College Football Playoff, Manning will take a redshirt this season. That will make him a redshirt freshman next year with Ewers set to return.
If the growth — both on the field and in the weight room — continues in this direction, Manning is going to be in a great position to light it up in 2025. He is prepared to be patient.