Texas Longhorns Coach Impressed With How Arch Manning 'Prepared Himself' as Starter

When the Texas Longhorns kick off fall camp on Wednesday, it may be Arch Manning's first as the official starting quarterback in Austin. However, it is not his first camp preparing as if he were the starter.

Since arriving in Austin, even as a highly-touted five-star prospect who was entering a situation where he'd have to play behind a veteran backup, Manning never failed to prepare the right way.

"They come into these situations where you have to sit and you don't prepare yourself to be a starting quarterback in that first year, that second year, this kid has not done that," Texas quarterback coach AJ Milwee said of Manning on Tuesday. "This kid has prepared himself like he has been a starter, whether he started or not for the last two years. So he has put himself in a position to be ready to play that game when that time comes."

"Prepared Himself"

Nothing confirms what Milwee said than what Manning did on the field when he got his opportunities. Despite being the backup behind Quinn Ewers, which Manning admitted at SEC Media Days wasn't easy, he enters 2025 with two career starts already under his belt after an injury sidelined the now Miami Dolphins quarterback.

In those two starts, Manning threw for 583 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions, while completing 68.3 percent of his passes, leading Texas to wins in each game. Manning finished his sophomore year with 10 appearances, where he threw for 939 yards and nine touchdowns with just two interceptions. However, he also rushed for 108 yards and four more scores.

Aside from those two starts, the rest of Manning's appearances either came in certain packages where Texas wanted to use his legs. Or, he would get in late in the game when Texas was already up big.

"I learned so much from Quinn in my two years behind him. I think he handled it like a pro. It's definitely not easy having me as the backup with all the media," Manning said in Atlanta of his experience behind Ewers. "I'm forever grateful for him. I actually texted him the other week for advice on two-minute, what kind of plays he likes to start with."

Being ready when your number is called has kind of become a cliché in college football today. The old adage of preparing like a starter is thrown around, especially among quarterbacks. So, when a coach praises a player for doing exactly that, it may not seem newsworthy.

Yet, for Texas heading into a season where they may be the AP Poll's preseason No. 1 team, hearing that about Manning is exactly what fans want to hear.