Legendary Longhorns Coach Praises Arch Manning’s Texas Rise

Mack Brown knows what elite Texas quarterback play is supposed to look like, and he clearly sees something real in Arch Manning.

The former Longhorns coach, who led Texas to two BCS National Championship Game appearances and won it all with Vince Young in the 2006 Rose Bowl, had major praise for Manning as the redshirt junior prepares to lead Steve Sarkisian’s powerhouse program into another College Football Playoff chase.

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“I’m so impressed with Arch because he will listen. He will ask questions. He will ask me questions at practice,” Brown said on a recent episode of The Stampede.

Coming from Brown, it carries weight.

He was on the sideline for the best quarterback era Texas football has produced in modern memory, from Young’s legendary title run to Colt McCoy’s record-setting career and painful injury exit against Alabama in the national championship game after the 2009 season.

So when Brown talks about Manning’s makeup, Texas fans should pay attention.

Manning has never been judged like a normal college quarterback. That comes with the last name. His grandfather, Archie Manning, became an SEC legend at Ole Miss, while uncles Peyton Manning and Eli Manning both became Super Bowl-winning NFL quarterbacks.

That kind of family history can crush a young player or sharpen him. Brown seems to believe it has done the latter.

Manning’s willingness to listen, ask questions and keep learning has become a major part of his appeal inside the program.

He isn’t just trading on the name. He’s working through the expectations that come with it, and that matters as Texas tries to stay among college football’s elite under Sarkisian.

The Longhorns have built real national momentum, and Manning now steps into the spotlight with one of the most talented rosters in the country around him.

The question isn’t whether people will watch. They absolutely will. The question is whether Manning can turn the hype into wins when Texas gets into the biggest games on the schedule.

Brown’s comments suggest he believes the foundation is there.

Texas has had iconic quarterback moments before. Young gave the program its last national title with one of the greatest performances college football has ever seen.

McCoy nearly had his own championship shot before injury changed the night against Alabama.

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Now Manning gets his turn.

And if Brown’s read is right, Texas may have more than a famous name under center. It may have a quarterback ready to lead.