Steve Sarkisian doesn’t sound like a coach worried about what comes after Arch Manning.
That’s the big takeaway from Texas’ quarterback room, where the Longhorns already have layers of talent stacked behind the current headliner. Manning may be the name drawing the spotlight now, but Sarkisian’s confidence stretches well beyond him, with four-star K.J. Lacey and five-star Dia Bell already in the pipeline and four-star Neimann Lawrence committed for the class of 2028.
Asked after a fall camp scrimmage about the depth he has at quarterback and how Bell is progressing, Sarkisian didn’t hold back.
"I feel very good about K.J.; he's doing some really good things, but I will say, Dia is as far along or maybe even further along than anybody we've had in that role," Sarkisian said after a fall camp scrimmage.
That’s a hefty endorsement for Bell, especially considering how little time he’s had on campus. It also says plenty about the standard Sarkisian has set at the position.
Over the last five years, Texas has seen Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning step into the spotlight as elite-level prospects, with both arriving as No. 1 overall recruits in their class. Ewers, of course, also spent a season at Ohio State and was still a top-four transfer portal prospect in 2021.
So when Sarkisian says Bell may already be as advanced as anyone he’s coached in that role, it carries real weight.
"[Bell] has an innate feel for the game, and he is a natural passer. He's got great leadership qualities, and it's instinctual," Sarkisian said. "As always, at that position, that's always a kind of work in progress... we have to find ways to keep pressure on them."
With Lacey expected to hold the QB2 spot this season and Bell earning that kind of praise already, Texas looks set up to keep the quarterback cupboard full well past the Manning era.
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Texas Is Carrying The Kind Of Hype Title Contenders Need
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For a program already expected to carry major weight in the race ahead, that kind of recognition matters because it signals depth at premium spots on both sides of the ball. It also raises the standard inside the building, where preseason praise is nice only if it turns into regular-season production, and Texas will spend the next few months trying to prove the hype is more than just August noise. [Read more 🡒]