rewrite this title Is Arch Manning ready to take over at Texas, then the NFL? Just ask his former teammates

INDIANAPOLIS — Arch Manning is at least a year away from fielding questions at the NFL Scouting Combine. Still, his former Texas teammates fully expect the sophomore quarterback to eventually join them at the highest level.

“I think he can,” wide receiver Matthew Golden said Friday. “He has the heart to do it. Arch comes in each and every day, and he goes to work. He acts like a walk-on. He has a story. He’s trying to make a name for himself.”

Manning started two games for the Longhorns last year as a redshirt freshman while filling in for injured starter Quinn Ewers. Manning, who stands 6 feet 4 and weighs 225 pounds, finished the season with 939 passing yards, nine touchdowns, two interceptions and a 67.8 completion percentage.

The nephew of Peyton Manning and Eli Manning and the grandson of Archie Manning — all first-round NFL quarterbacks — the youngest Manning rushed for 108 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries. His 67-yard touchdown sprint against UTSA was the longest by a Texas quarterback since Vince Young’s 80-yard run in 2005.

“He’s an amazing thrower, but what shocked me the most is that he can run,” receiver Isaiah Bond said. “I wasn’t expecting that at all, but Arch has some wheels on him. I’ve just never seen a quarterback run like that before, especially because he’s a big guy, too. So, to be moving at that speed, he is pretty amazing.”

In the past 25 years, Manning is the only FBS or NFL QB to post a touchdown pass exceeding 75 yards, a touchdown run for more than 65 yards and another 50-yard scoring pass in the same game. Manning did that against UTSA, a game he didn’t even start. Manning spelled Ewers in that game and completed 9 of 12 passes for four touchdowns and 223 yards while rushing for his 67-yarder in a 56-7 win.

As the nation’s No. 1 recruit in 2023, Manning immediately applied pressure to Ewers, who was No. 1 in 2021. Then with those performances, Manning’s presence intensified the tension on Ewers, which forced him to continually improve to remain a starter.

“It says in the Bible, iron sharpens iron,” Ewers said. “So, it was good for me and him to kind of get to work together. And we both are competing for the same job, but us being pals off the field was good for us as well.

“I wouldn’t trade any of that, because it’s the reality of the position. There’s always going to be a big name in the room or around the room. So, I’m glad that he was a part of our team, and I’m glad that I had to hear about it as well.”

After his two starts against Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State, Manning played sparingly the rest of the season, completing 6 of 12 passes for 38 yards and rushing 12 times for 26 yards and a touchdown. The Longhorns reached the College Football Playoff semifinals in their first SEC campaign.

With Ewers eyeing an NFL career, it’s Manning’s time to stand out at Texas. And his former teammates believe he is ready for the spotlight.

“He’s gonna be a great player,” Ewers said. “He’s a hard-working kid. I think that he has some traits that I had as well. He’s definitely got poise and composure, and I think that he’s ready for any moment that arises because he sat behind me, he saw how I did it. And then obviously he’s going to have his ways that he’s going to want to do it.”

“He can spin the ball real well,” Golden said. “He can run the ball, too. I feel like there’s nothing Arch can’t do. So, I’m excited to see what he’s going to do next year. For his caliber, how young he is, he understands the game at a high level.

“You can tell when he’s in the game. So, just waiting for him to get the opportunity to start. It’s gonna be good.”

(Top photo: Matthew Visinsky / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)