The Arch Manning era of Texas Longhorns football has officially begun

It's official, 5-star quarterback Arch Manning -- the consensus top senior recruit in the nation, has signed with the Texas Longhorns.

This is a formality, of course, because Manning has been committed to Texas since June 2022. Still, the ink has dried on the letter of intent, and at least for now (the transfer portal is now always looming over college football programs), that means Manning will be suiting up in Austin sometime very soon.

To call this a huge recruiting win for Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns would be an understatement. Sure, Manning is a "big name." You may have heard of his uncles, Peyton and Eli Manning. Oh, his grandfather just so happens to be Archie Manning. Those three are somewhat of a big deal in the football community.

His star power aside, Arch Manning is simply a good player. The talent matches the hype.

He was a four-year starter for Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans, Louisiana and he had a decorated high school career, throwing for 8.599 yards and 115 touchdowns (20 interceptions). while rushing for 1,115 yards and 25 touchdowns. He broke both of his uncle's Isadore Newman records in the process. Eli had thrown for 7,268 yards and Peyton had held the record for touchdowns with 93. 

If Manning is even half the quarterback his bloodline suggests he'll be, he's going to be a star for the Longhorns.

"Signing Arch Manning was big on a lot of fronts," Sarkisian told the media on National Signing Day, per ESPN. "He's extremely gifted. He's got all the attributes needed to be a good quarterback. He's 6-4, 225, he's got a great arm. He's a good athlete. He's got really good fundamentals. There's not a throw he can't make. He's got the desire, the competitiveness, the work ethic needed to be great at the position."

Making things interesting for Sarkisian and the Longhorns is that a former top recruit in the nation, Quinn Ewers, showed a ton of star power himself as a redshirt freshman in Austin this season.

Ewers played in and started only nine games due to injury, but he completed 56.6% of his passes for 1,808 yards and 14 touchdowns.

He looked like the real deal, but it's going to be really hard for Sarkisian and his staff to slow-play the arrival of Manning on campus for long.

Texas could be gearing up for potentially the most interesting quarterback battle in the country this spring. It will be interesting to see how things shake out, but one thing is for certain: The Arch Manning era has officially begun.