Arch Madness arrived in Atlanta, but even Arch Manning knows he’s ‘got a lot to prove’
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ATLANTA — Before Steve Sarkisian even reached the podium at SEC Media Days, the crowd of media members started to form to his left. A growing group of media members, some bigger than others, is well within the standard flow of the 4-day event. But this crowd was — at least in the post-Johnny Manziel era of SEC Media Days — as unique as it gets.
Consider it the perfect preamble for the highly-anticipated start of the Arch Manning era at Texas.
By the time that Sarkisian wrapped up his 30 minutes and Manning eventually satisfied the media members who stood 45 minutes to get the best spot for the Texas quarterback’s availability, well, the crowd grew just a touch.
Manning’s legacy won’t be defined by having the biggest SEC Media Days crowd in the last decade or so, nor will it be defined by how he came across in that setting. Admittedly, it was a setting he initially hoped to avoid.
“At first, I didn’t really want to come because cameras aren’t my favorite thing,” Manning said. “But then I realized that to represent the University of Texas at SEC Media Days is such a cool thing for such a traditional and storied program.”
For someone who doesn’t seek the spotlight, Manning handled it well. His lone blemish was being too soft spoken. Two different times, an SEC official moved Manning’s microphone and advised him to lean closer to it.
Rookie mistake? Fair. After all, Manning is indeed a first-time starter. He’s the first person who’ll acknowledge that. It’s easy to forget amidst an offseason wherein he’s already being mocked by various publications as the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft and considered the early Heisman Trophy favorite.
How does he feel about that?
“I’m not in the business of, this is gonna sound mean, but caring about what other people think, but I’m grateful that y’all think that,” Manning said. “But I’ve only played what, 2 games? I’ve got a lot to prove. I’m ready to play, though.”
Good answer.
Manning is doing his best to truly avoid those conversations, and really just social media altogether. He’s got a $20 bet with former Ole Miss quarterback Robert Ratliff that he can stay off social media for a week.
“It’s been hard to not start scrolling,” Manning said, “but I think I’ve done pretty good so far.”
Despite being surrounded by dozens of media members, Manning had a sense of calm about him. He didn’t put his foot in his mouth when asked about Steve Spurrier’s comment on “Another Dooley Noted Podcast” about why he didn’t play over 7th-round pick Quinn Ewers, nor did Manning weigh in on a question about not getting the ball on goal-to-go against Ohio State in the semifinals. The most inflammatory comment that Manning made was self-deprecating.
“I think I have really good friends and good family to keep me grounded to keep me honest. When I’m acting like a turd, they tell me,” Manning said.
And when was the last time that he acted … like a turd?
“We were playing golf the other day and I complimented my own shot,” Manning said. “They were like, ‘What the hell is wrong with you?’”
Confidence isn’t lacking. Listen to his head coach talk about him and you’ll realize that maturity isn’t lacking, either.
“I think he learned a lot over time, right?” Sarkisian said. “For Arch, he grew up in this era of seeing high-level football. He’s watched Super Bowls. He’s watched gold jackets getting put on. He’s been to playoff games. He’s been recruited at the highest level as the No. 1 player in the country. He watched Quinn (Ewers) navigate through the ups and downs of being a starting quarterback at the University of Texas. I think the one thing you’ll find out about Arch is, one, he’s very even keel about him. Two, he’s very quick witted.
“He’s got a great sense of humor about himself and he’s okay to laugh at himself, and I think that’s a great quality to have because, at the end of the day, there’s going to be adversity that’s going to strike this season, and we all talk about resiliency and grit and all those things that are needed when adversity strikes, but I think some of that resiliency can come from calm, remaining calm. Arch definitely has that about him.”
It’s quite the journey for someone who, as he reminded us, has just 2 career starts at the college level. But as loud as the outside noise has been since Manning was in high school — or even middle school — it’s hard to imagine a quieter journey the last 3 years.
Manning verbally committed to Texas ahead of his senior season in high school and never wavered. He enrolled early and was never the subject of any sort of transfer portal rumors during a true freshman season in which he was the 3rd-string quarterback, and he stuck with Texas when Ewers announced he was returning for 2024 and Manning would have to wait another season to be the starter.
Nothing about Manning’s career has been self-created drama. Instead, a guy who committed to a 5-7 program is now entering an ideal situation to take the college football stage, just as he drew it up.
“There was probably some pushback,” Manning said of his initial Texas commitment. “But ya know, here we are.”
After the Ohio State game, Manning got some wise advise from Ewers about how quickly his college experience was going to go by. So far, Manning said, that’s been true. Even though the outside world might feel like his arrival is long overdue, he admitted that “it feels like yesterday” that he was enrolling early in Austin.
Manning got through the part that he had initially hoped to avoid. That’s the good part. The harder part awaits.
“If he stays true to himself, that’s going to help him navigate these waters as they present themselves,” Sarkisian said. “We’ve got to do a great job of supporting him around him, as coaches, as players, and ultimately I think he’s prepared for the moment.
“But now it’s just time for him to go do it and enjoy doing it quite frankly.”
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Down South. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.
