Texas Longhorns' Steve Sarkisian Praises Arch Manning's Patience

Coming from a family full of NFL icons, Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning knows what it takes to be a consummate professional, and he's shown it throughout his time in Austin.

Despite being a backup to Quinn Ewers for his first two seasons, Manning has never once complained or mentioned entering the transfer portal to find a starting opportunity elsehwer. He's remained patient throughout the entire process, and now that he's taken over the starting job, that patience is rewarded at last.

During an interview with ESPN's Greg McElroy, Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian praised Manning for his patience and professionalism thus far.

“I give him a lot of credit because all he did was come to work and be a great teammate,” Sarkisian said. “If you didn’t know the name on the back of his jersey, you’d say, ‘Man, what a great this guy is, for Quinn, for the other guys on the team, the guys in his class.’

“He worked really hard. I think naturally, going into Year 2, he wanted to play more than he played, but he knew his role on that team and when his number was called, man, he did really good things for us and he competed his tail off.”

Arch Manning as Not Only a Player, But A Leader Too

Due to his team-first mentality, Manning has become a leader in the Longhorns' locker room. His leadership will definitely be tested as Texas pursues a national championship, but if he's anything like his uncles and grandfather, he should have no problem rising to the occasion.

“I don’t think that I could have predicted a better way for this to go for him to where he’s grown exponentially, not only on the football field, but as a leader, as a person,” Sarkisian said. “He’s ready to play now and play at a high level, and we don’t have to go through as many growing pains. Sure, there’s going to be some, but we don’t have to go through as many because of the exposure that he got.

“He’s earned the respect of his teammates. They know he’s not playing because of the name on the back of his jersey. He’s going to be our starting quarterback because he’s earned it and that he’s ready to play. You could feel it in spring, but you can definitely feel it this summer right now. This is his team, and he’s got the respect of his teammates.”