Texas Longhorns HC Steve Sarkisian Says Recruiting Arch Manning Was Surprisingly “Normal”

Arch Manning hasn’t even thrown 100 passes in the NCAA (95, to be exact), yet he’s already arguably the biggest name in college football. He’s got NIL deals with brands like Red Bull and Panini, the premier purveyor of sports trading cards. On3 also has him ranked as the most valuable player in college football, with an NIL valuation of $6.5 million.

That, of course, has a lot to do with his family. The U.K. has the Windsor clan, and the NFL has the Mannings. Grandpa Archie, uncle Peyton, and uncle Eli were all NFL stalwarts, and the latter two have retained their fame well into their post-football lives. But let’s give Arch some credit too: he went to the same high school as Peyton and Eli, and he broke Eli’s passing yards record and Peyton’s passing TDs record.

He was a five-star recruit coming out of Isidore Newman in New Orleans. He had the numbers, the build (6’3″, 204 pounds), and the family pedigree. The Manning family kept the recruitment process tightly controlled to avoid a media frenzy, so one would imagine that Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian had to go through a stormy process to get Arch’s commitment to Austin. But it was just the opposite, with Sark describing it essentially as a breeze.

“It was the most normal recruiting process. I’ve recruited a lot of QBs in my time, and had some great ones, and they can be difficult. They can be tough. But, with Arch, it was so normal. Great family, great home life,” said the Longhorns head coach to Kay Adams.

Obviously, the Mannings haven’t let the fame get to their heads. Arch’s father, Cooper, who is the elder brother of Peyton and Eli, runs an investor relations firm, and his mother, Ellen, is a prominent lawyer. Even when the Mannings don’t make it to the NFL, it seems they do alright for themselves.

Texas has already named Arch Manning QB1 for the 2025 season

Despite the fact that it’s still February and we’re closer to the 2024 National Championship than the kickoff of the 2025 NCAA college football season, Steve Sarkisian is not holding back. He told Kay Adams—admittedly, after much prodding from the journalist—that Arch Manning has officially been named his starting QB for the 2025 season.

“It’d be pretty tough for me to say he’s probably not gonna be our starting QB… We’re in a pretty good spot to, I think, have a pretty good football team, and it’s gonna be even better knowing he’s gonna be the guy for us,” said the head coach.

“No starter named, but we’re rocking with it anyway,” Adams responded.

Sarkisian then quipped: “Nah, we got Arch Manning.”

Adams, surprised, asked, “Are you declaring him the starter?” and Sarkisian replied with a laugh, “Sure, we’ll give you that, Kay.”

Sarkisian was all praise and gush for Arch throughout the interview. He remarked that Arch has “more swag than his uncles”, which isn’t saying much but is still a good sign. The Texas coach also said Arch has the athleticism of his grandpa, Archie, who was 2nd in QB rushing yards while he was a full-time starter from 1971 to 1980.

The Manning scion was clearly raised well despite the silver spoon he grew up with in his gob. He donated the proceeds of his record-selling Panini trading card (over $100k) to charity, and Sarkisian is already raving about how hard he works. And that’s not just on the football field, but in the weight and classrooms too.

“If you didn’t know who he was, you would’ve thought he was just another freshman trying to earn his way. 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. Nobody works harder, not in the weight room, not on the field, not in the classroom, not studying. But what I love about him is his connection to his teammates. He gets along with everybody.”

In the end, what Sarkisian said was most important is that Arch Manning “instills belief” not only in the fan base, but in the coaching staff and his fellow players too. No wonder this kid is already the favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.