Steve Sarkisian Discusses Texas QB Dynamics for 2024
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00:00Asked about his quarterback room in Austin, here's what Steve Sarkisian, the head coach,
00:04had to say, quote, we're probably going to need both those guys at some point this season,
00:10end quote. Donnie, is it just coach speak, or what did you make of Sark's words yesterday?
00:15It sounds like coach speak, but let's go back in the annals of like, you know,
00:18major recruits coming to a university, because Arch Manning was one of those can't-miss
00:23prospects, you get him on your team, all eyes on the prize, national championships, and Heisman's
00:27here. Take out like Jimmy Closs, remember he's going to Notre Dame, he's going to win like five
00:30national championships, or Ron Paul was back in the day out of Berwick, Pennsylvania, you know,
00:35those guys, again, had decent careers, but didn't amount, but let's, yeah, let's take a look at some
00:39of these other guys, though, that enter in the equation. Remember Drew Henson back in the day,
00:43I believe was from Michigan with Tom Brady, where I think, was Louis Carr the head coach at that
00:47point, I want to say, told him, I don't even care who else is on my team, you're going to come and
00:50you're going to start, and like, Tom Brady was waiting in the wings, like, you know, Tom,
00:53like, we're going to, you're going to get the last chance to start here. Flip it over to Texas
00:57itself. Do you remember when Chris Sims was the highest rated quarterback in the country,
01:01and Major Applewhite was with Texas? They told Chris Sims, who cares what Major Applewhite has
01:05done here, we're going to give you every benefit and chance to start, even if the other quarterback
01:08is better than you. It's amazing to me in this day and age, because maybe in the past,
01:12where you go to an institution, it doesn't work out in your favor, you're not going to be a star,
01:16because the goal in college football right now, start as fast as you can, start that clock,
01:20and get to the pros, and get that big contract, particularly as a quarterback. But I find myself
01:24saying, well, you can transfer out in a matter of days and go to another institution and get
01:29more NIL money. It's kind of interesting that he has stayed there, because clearly, Ben,
01:34he's not the better quarterback than Quinn Ewers, otherwise he would have started there.
01:37All that acumen coming in, you're looking for the benefit of the doubt going in Arch Manning's
01:41direction every which way, and he can't sniff the field at all. That's what's interesting to me.
01:47Did Texas find out, and also Arch Manning, just through the grapevine, like, yeah, you know what,
01:51I was a really good player in high school. I don't think I'm that good compared to some of
01:54these players in college, because he should have transferred out and went to another top 20
01:57institution and started right away. I can't figure out why he's still at Texas at this point,
02:02and I guess it just to me means he's not as good as we thought he was.
02:06It is surprising, but maybe it's the commitment to take over Texas when Quinn Ewers leaves,
02:12which is going to be this year. There was a thought when Arch Manning committed that Ewers
02:16having a brilliant 2023 season would allow Quinn Ewers to be a part of the quarterback draft class
02:22last year, making that jump to the National Football League. Quinn Ewers
02:26stays. It was a slight surprise toward the tail end of the 2023 campaign,
02:31also surprising that Arch Manning did not enter the transfer portal. Iron sharpens iron. Steve
02:37Sarkeesian did say these guys are best friends. Again, he's going to say all of those things.
02:44It will be Arch Manning's show next year. It still could be at a certain point
02:49this year, but if it's because of pure talent, things have gone poorly at Texas. Arch Manning
02:56could lead them back, but if Quinn Ewers is shaky, UT will be shaky to start off the season,
03:02and that is not by any means the expectation for the Longhorns in year number one as an SEC
03:10school. Ten and a half is the win total for Texas. Second best price to win the SEC at plus
03:15350 to make a second straight trip to the college football playoff, minus 230. One of four teams
03:23around the nation with a greater than minus 200 price to get to the college football playoff. Ohio
03:29State, Georgia, who is the favorite to win the SEC, Oregon, and Texas. They are supposed to be
03:35there come heck or high water, so that is going to be the expectation this year in Austin. You saw
03:42those SEC title odds. It's Georgia first. It's Texas second in their first year in the SEC.
03:48Now, if you went off the record and sat Sarke down, he's probably saying to himself, like,
03:52you got to be kidding me, man. Like, we're in the SEC now, which again, you have the expanded
03:56playoff, an easier chance, an opportunity to get in, but he just stays in the big 12, man. Is that
04:01big fish there? They are in the playoffs every single year. The amount of money he'd make in
04:05the accolades he would get from continually getting in there. So respect the institutions
04:09for leveling up, but they didn't just level up because they wanted to. They leveled up because
04:13they want that money to pile up there for the Texas Longhorns and the new people coming into
04:17the SEC. So I get that here, but I am buying in to what Texas has, because I think he was,
04:21quite frankly, is a very good quarterback and that's where it starts. And the expectations
04:25are extremely high. Why? Because he has been a good quarterback in the past. If he can just
04:29stay healthy all the way through, there's no reason to believe that they can't challenge
04:32for the SEC championship first year in there and or make the college football playoff. So
04:37I'm buying on Texas. I like what I've seen. And also as Sark says, this is one of the most deepest
04:41teams he's been around and I believe it. There is talent across talent with a great quarterback.
04:46That usually means good results in the regular season.