ATLANTA ― Texas football quarterback Arch Manning didn’t seem aware of Steve Spurrier’s quip aimed in his direction a few weeks ago.
On a recent podcast with former Gainesville Sun columnist Pat Dooley, Spurrier questioned if Manning was worthy of the preseason hype surrounding him. Spurrier went on to explain if Manning was that good, why didn’t he take the starting job from Quinn Ewers in his first two years on campus.
With Ewers gone after leading the Longhorns to back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances, Manning will finally get his shot to lead the Texas offense as its starting quarterback.
“Steve Spurrier is a great coach and is he in the College Football Hall of Fame? Yeah, he’s here,” Manning said at SEC football media days on Tuesday, July 15. “So, I’m just worried about myself and trying to get better each day. That’s that.”
As the grandson of Archie Manning and nephew of Eli and Peyton Manning, Arch Manning comes from royal quarterback bloodlines. The 6-foot-4, 219-pound Manning was the No. 1 recruit in the 2023 class and chose Texas over offers from Georgia, Alabama and Florida.
In his first two years, Manning has filled in as a change-of-pace quarterback behind Ewers, passing for 1,029 yards and 9 TDs and rushing for 115 yards and 4 TDs over two seasons.
“It’s been really beneficial for me,” Manning said. “Obviously those two years weren’t always fun for me, the competitor in you wants to play. But looking back, I feel like I’ve grown a lot as a person and a player.”
Despite the limited sample size, Manning has entered the 2025 season with preseason All-SEC accolades. SEC Network host Paul Finebaum has declared Manning as “the best college football quarterback since Tim Tebow.”
“I’m not really in the business of caring what other people think,” Manning said. “I know you all might think that sounds mean, but I have only played in about two games. I’ve got lot to prove. I’m ready to play though.”
What Arch Manning thinks about Florida football QB DJ Lagway
Manning said he doesn’t have too close of a relationship with Florida football sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway. Like Manning, Lagway was a blue-chip quarterback recruit out of Willis High School in Willis, Texas, earning 2023 Gatorade High School Player of the Year Honors as the top-rated quarterback recruit in the 2024 class.
Lagway lived up to his billing as a true freshman last season for the Florida Gators, going 6-1 as a starter while passing for 1,915 yards with 12 TDs and nine interceptions.
“We talked for a second after the game last year (at Texas),” Manning said. “He was hurt. I don’t know him, but I know he’s a really good player and he’s from Texas and lit it up in high school. Fired up for him. Hope he has a good year.”
With Texas traveling to The Swamp on Oct. 4 to face Florida, it could set up an epic quarterback matchup, provided Lagway and Manning both stay healthy.
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Arch Manning addresses Steve Spurrier quip, relationship with Florida football QB DJ Lagway
Reporting by Kevin Brockway, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
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