The Texas Longhorns are gearing up for its debut season in the SEC after officially joining the conference this summer.
Alongside their long-time rival Oklahoma, the addition of Texas brings the SEC to a total of 16 teams, setting the stage for one of the most competitive seasons in college football history.
Much of the talk in Austin during the early part of the offseason surrounded young phenom quarterback Arch Manning.
After starter Quinn Ewers announced his somewhat surprising decision to return to Texas for one final season, many Longhorn fans worried that Manning would soon hit the transfer portal.
However, head coach Steve Sarkisian made it clear that he was never too concerned about that happening.
“I really credit his family,” Sarkisian said of Manning on The Dan Patrick Show. “I think they understand the process.
“We’re in this world now of instant gratification, whether it’s social media or the five-star recruit comes in and starts right away. But if you really look back at the history of Eli and Peyton, they didn’t start their freshman year. It took time as they developed.”
“I think one thing the Mannings understand is that when it’s your time to play, they want to play really well. They don’t want to be learning on the job,” Sark continued.
“We got a pretty good history and tradition of developing quarterbacks over the last 20 or so years, going ball the way back to Carson Palmer and all the guys we’ve coached.
“We’ve seen an immense amount of development in Arch. We feel very comfortable if and or when he gets into a game that he’ll play good football for us.”
As the Longhorns prepare for the transition to the SEC, Sarkisian emphasized the importance of getting his team ready for what is widely considered the toughest conference in all of college football.
Reflecting on the previous season, the Longhorns came close to reaching the College Football Playoff National Championship, narrowly losing to the Washington Huskies in the semifinal.
Despite losing some key players from that squad, Sarkisian is optimistic about the upcoming season, thanks to a strong recruiting class and key transfers.
“We’ve brought in some great talent,” Sarkisian said, adding, “Now it’s time to see how this roster handles the rigors of an SEC season.”
Of course, the most important piece of all is the Heisman Trophy candidate Ewers.
With Ewers firmly established as the starting quarterback, the Longhorns are poised for a strong season. He played a pivotal role in Texas’ Big 12 championship win last year and their subsequent College Football Playoff berth.
Ewers and the Longhorns were one play away from an appearance in the national title game – and we all know they would’ve given Michigan a much better fight than Washington did.
While the future may belong to Manning, the present is very much Ewers’ time. The Longhorns have their sights set on another College Football Playoff berth and a potential national championship run. However, navigating the SEC will be a far greater challenge than anything Texas faced in the Big 12.
“The goal is to compete for an SEC title, get into the Playoff, and then see what happens,” Sarkisian stated. “If we can do that, then Texas football is truly back where it belongs.”
Getting back to Arch … Were you shocked that he never considered transferring?
Or were you, much like Sark, not surprised in the least bit considering the character of the Manning family???