Steve Sarkisian's Texas gets rolling with intense offseason practice at its home stadium

Steve Sarkisian is gearing up for his fifth season with the Texas Longhorns. He was brought in as the head coach of the program back in 2021 while they were still in the Big 12 conference. So far, Sarkisian had put up a 38-17 record while leading the team to a Big 12 championship.

On social media, the Longhorns shared a short clip showcasing the offseason workout and preparations of the team. Players engaged in different drills at the Darrell K-Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.

One part of the clip showcased quarterbacks Arch Manning (#16) and Trey Owens (#15) showing off their throwing strength and accuracy during a passing drill. The team accompanied the clip with a short yet straightforward caption capturing their offseason mentality.

"Football on our mind," the caption read.

Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns made their debut in the SEC conference last season. They put up an impressive campaign and secured a spot in the SEC title game. However, the Longhorns lost 22-19 to the Georgia Bulldogs.

The Longhorns also qualified to participate in the 12-team College Football Playoff. The first round saw them defeat the Clemson Tigers with a 38-24 final score. They secured a 39-31 victory over Arizona State in the Peach Bowl quarterfinal game. However, Sarkisian and his team were eliminated by national champions Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl semifinal showdown.

Texas starting quarterback Quinn Ewers decided to forego his final year of eligibility after the 2024 campaign. He declared for this year's draft. Thus, fans are excited to see Arch Manning take to the field as the new QB1.

Manning showcased glimpses of his dual-threat brilliance last season as a backup and recorded 939 yards and nine TDs passing while rushing for four TDs.

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Steve Sarkisian heaps praise on Arch Manning's leadership skills

Arch Manning waited two seasons as the backup on the depth chart. He rose to the occasion and led the team to victories when Quinn Ewers was injured last season. Now, Manning is finally getting his chance in the spotlight this year.

On Tuesday, Steve Sarkisian made an appearance on the "Clean Pocket" podcast, where he heaped praise on Manning's leadership skills and talked about the atmosphere he creates within the team.

"The guy's got a charismatic (way of leading)," the coach said. "You can feel it. There's definitely is, and that's not a knock against Quinn. Everybody leads differently, but he's got something about him that guys gravitate to.

"And that's always a great thing to have as a quarterback. Because it's like a coach, I can know all the stuff I want to know and I can lead, but you want the players to want to play for you, not in spite of you or despite you." (TS- 16:08 onwards)

Manning has the potential to lead the Longhorns to a national championship this upcoming season. They begin their 2025 campaign with a season opener against Ohio State in August.