“It wasn’t about the name on his jersey”: Steve Sarkisian shares details of Arch Manning’s recruitment process at Texas

Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns will have a new starting quarterback next season: Arch Manning. Manning joined the Longhorns two seasons ago but played behind Quinn Ewers.

With Ewers entering the 2025 NFL draft, Manning is set to take over as the starter.

On Thursday's episode of Kay Adams' "Up & Adams" show, Sarkisian spoke about Manning.

"You know, with Arch, I would say this. First of all with the recruiting process, it was the most normal recruiting process. I've recruited a lot of QBs and had some great ones and they can be difficult. With Arch, it was so normal. Great family. Great home life. ...

"It wasn't about the name on the back of his jersey. It was, 'How can I help? What can I do? Can I be a great teammate?' ... But what I love about him is his connection to his teammates. This guy gets along with everybody, super competitive, got way more swag than his uncles."

Sarkisian praised Manning's athletic abilities but emphasized that his greatest strength is instilling belief in those around him.

"He's got the athleticism of his grandpa. ... A QB's real job is to instill belief in his teammates, instill belief in the coaches, instill belief in an organization and instill belief in a fanbase. Arch does all of those things."

Arch Manning is one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy next season

While Arch Manning is humble, according to his head coach, that has not stopped the media, fans and sportsbooks from putting big expectations on him. He is one of the early favorites to win the Heisman Trophy.

According to FanDuel, Manning is the second most likely player to win the Heisman next season (+900). He is only behind LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier (+800) in odds.