Texas quarterback Arch Manning is drawing the kind of praise that follows a player who has spent the offseason at the center of the college football conversation.
At SEC Media Days on Wednesday, Florida Gators head coach Jon Sumrall had plenty to say about the Longhorns star, and it started with a story about how Manning handled himself before he was even the full-time face of Texas.
“Arch, man, what a great young man. When I was a coach at Tulane Archie would shoot me a text or a phone call and say, hey, is it okay in May in some downtime if Arch comes over and throws?" Sumrall shared.
"I really have a lot of the respect for the Manning family as a whole. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree with Arch how he carries himself.”
That kind of reaction has become familiar for Manning, whose reputation off the field has matched the buzz around his game. And after a season that began with enormous pressure, he ended up looking every bit like one of the SEC’s top quarterbacks.
Manning closed last season with 3,163 passing yards, 26 touchdown passes, and just seven interceptions. Those numbers put him among the top five quarterbacks in the country and set the stage for what could be a defining year.
The Longhorns are bringing back a loaded offense, and Manning will have no shortage of help around him. Auburn Tigers transfer wide receiver Cam Coleman joins the mix, while Ryan Wingo returns as Texas’ top wideout from last season.
There’s plenty of talent in the backfield, too. Transfers Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown give Texas a running back pairing that has a real chance to be the best in the SEC.
With that kind of support, the spotlight only gets brighter on Manning as he heads into a pivotal season in his college career. If there’s a year for him to make a Heisman push, the case for 2026 is starting to look strong.
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