“It’s not always about talent”: Texas HC Steve Sarkisian details the quality he looks for in a QB while recruiting 

Steve Sarkisian is one of the most talked about coaches in current times. Recently, he talked about looking for the right set of qualities while recruiting quarterbacks like Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning. Last week, in a conversation with Josh Pate on his YouTube channel "Late Night Kick with Josh," Sarkisian said:

"Its not always about talent. Playing quarterback and being a great quarterback is not about how far you throw it or how well you throw a slant route. That's a piece to the puzzle.

"What are you? What type of work ethic do you have? How do you relate to everybody in that locker room? How do you relate to your community? That's what the greatest quarterbacks have." (11:56)

The Texas HC continued:

"And that's what we try to look for in recruiting. And what we try to develop when we get them here. We've had a decent amount of success over the years.

"I think this is another great room. We have Quinn coming back for his third year is huge. Watching his growth and maturation over three years has been incredible. Just looking at Arch from year one to year two, and to see how far he's come."

Sarkisian was appointed as the Washington Huskies' HC from 2009-2013 and also led the USC Trojans from 2014-2015. In 2021, he became the head coach of the Texas Longhorns.

After a rocky start under Sarkisian, Texas had a successful 2023 college football season. The Longhorns finished with a 12-2 record, bagged their first Big 12 championship title and also had a total of 11 players drafted in the 2024 NFL draft.

Sarkisian has done extremely well in using the transfer portal to his advantage by adding former Alabama stars Isaiah Bond and Amari Niblack, among other difference-makers.

Many college football analysts were expecting Arch Manning to transfer to another school where he would have a better chance of getting the starting position. The Texas HC did a great job of retaining key players like Arch in the transfer portal.

Steve Sarkisian on Arch Manning receiving praise for not transferring

Due to the competition for the starting quarterback position at Texas, many fans were expecting Arch Manning to enter the transfer portal. However, he decided to stay true to the process with the Longhorns and come back for at least one more year.

While some were surprised by this decision, many individuals have been praising Manning for staying at Texas, especially after his electrifying performance at the 2024 spring game. There, he went for three touchdowns and one interception, throwing 19-for-26 for 355 yards.

In a conversation with college football analyst Josh Pate, Sarkisian gave his two cents on all the praise Manning has been receiving lately:

"I get a chuckle out of this. Everyone's praising Arch for staying at Texas. He's going into year two, what do you mean? But that's the mentality. Our locker room is not a whole lot different than everybody else's, but that's mentality.

"Good for Arch. He's sticking it out with Texas in year two. And I'm like, 'Hey, that's part of the process. Like, we're developing him to play, be a great football player and a great leader, and he's going to be worked like that,' but that's where we're at."

Fans will be interested to see how one of the deepest quarterback units in the nation comes together for Steve Sarkisian's crew.