Steve Sarkisian Sets Realistic 2023 Expectations For Arch Manning After Up-And-Down Spring

Arch Manning is not going to start for Texas this fall. He probably won't even serve as the backup.

Manning, the five-star, No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2023 may end up taking a redshirt. There is no need to rush him out onto the field because, despite his last name and ranking, he's not ready.

Quinn Ewers will be QB1. Maalik Murphy will be QB2, after choosing to stay in Austin and compete instead of leaving for NIL money. Manning will be the break-in-case-of-emergency QB3.

Haters will call him overrated. Realists understand that the newly-minted 18-year-old is a newly-minted 18-year-old. The hype is great, and well deserved, but expectations need to be kept realistic — especially after his less-than-stellar spring game performance.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian agrees.

Arch Manning is on his way, but not there yet.

Manning should technically be wrapping up his final days of high school and formally graduate Isidore Newman at the end of the month. Instead, he chose to enroll early at Texas and get ahead.

Sarkisian recently spoke to Manning's youth and transition on an appearance with 105.3 The Fan.

He's on the right trajectory that he should be on, he's a true freshman in college. He really should be in high school, just finished his first semester on the Forty Acres. And so there's a different transition there.
There's a transition to college life. There's a transition to the scheme of the game he hasn't been accustomed to and a transition to the the speed of the game. There were a lot of really good moments that Arch had throughout the spring and there were a couple tough days.

All things considered, Sarkisian is thrilled with what he has in the quarterback room. Ewers and Murphy are helping to teach Manning, as Manning pushes the two veterans.

Him and I could both agree that wasn't his best day, but we weren't great around him either. But I think there's a lot of room for him to grow this summer. There's going to be a lot of room for him to grow in fall camp.
Ultimately, it's a great room that we have with Quinn Ewers, Maalik Murphy and Arch. That's what you've got to have in college football. You've got to have a room that's pulling for one another and willing to develop at their own pace, whatever they need. I'm super-pumped that Arch Manning's on our team and he's going to be a great Longhorn before it's all said and done."

Don't expect to see much, if any, of Manning this fall. The first grandson of football may get a chance to throw it around in garbage time, just for the experience, but nothing more unless things go terribly wrong.