First impressions aren’t everything to Texas’ Steve Sarkisian and he urges the sports landscape to apply that to Arch Manning.
The grandson of Archie and nephew of Eli and Peyton had his first start as the No. 1-ranked team’s quarterback on Saturday to kick off the 2025 season.
He left a lot to be desired, but to Sarkisian, it’s not all Manning will show throughout the season.
“For Arch, the expectations were out of control on the outside. I’d say let’s finish the book before we judge him. That’s one chapter,” the head coach said.
Before his debut, there was lofty expectations placed on Manning due to his family history.
He waited two years for the starting gig at Texas, despite the temptations of the transfer portal, and he was a big reason why Texas was ranked No. 1 in the preseason for the first time in program history.
Manning went 17-of-30 for 170 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
It was an underwhelming and inconsistent performance given the hype around him as a popular pick for the Heisman Trophy and as a potential No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft.
It resulted in a 14-7 loss, but Ohio State has a tough defense and Ohio Staadium isn’t the easiest place to play.
Moving forward, Manning is expected to look better against lighter competition.
The team faces San Jose State and UTEP over the next two weeks, which should give some more early season experimenting for Texas around their new star quarterback.
“He started really playing and we saw some flashes and glimpses of the guy he is,” Sarkisian said. “There’s a lot to hold onto on what the future is going to look like here for Arch Manning.”
