In Homer’s Odyssey, the Greek hero Odysseus and his men face numerous encounters with temptation, specifically in the form of Sirens. In the story, Sirens take on the appearance of beautiful women but are actually half-bird. They sing, and their songs are so alluring that seamen are drawn to them. The ship captains are so drawn to them that they go so far as to blindly steer their ships into rocks in the ocean, leading them to crash and drown.
This is a story of course, but the lessons apply to the modern college football world. In college football, Sirens take on many forms. ADs always feel like they’re on a quest to be right and the smartest person in the room. The allure of fame and bigger contracts seduce coaches. And NIL paydays and more favorable NFL draft stocks speak to players.
At the University of Texas, there is no shortage of distractions. From the fun of Rainey and West Sixth Streets to the sheer expectations that come with the biggest budget in college football, I imagine it feels like a lot.
Texas football is always a topic of conversation. The 2024 team is no exception. Fresh off a College Football Playoff berth and ushering in a new era in the SEC, there’s a palpable buzz around this version of Texas.
So where’s the Siren song coming from for this team? If you listen closely, it’s coming from inside the house. In the quarterback room, to be exact. This Siren doesn’t look like a bird; instead, it stands six foot, four inches tall, hails from New Orleans and is a byproduct of the most powerful football family the world has ever seen.
Can Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian stave off the Siren song of Arch Manning? Or will he abandon what got him (and his program) here and succumb to the sweet, sweet promise of something new?
The Quinn Ewers Conundrum
By and large, incumbent quarterback Quinn Ewers was good as the starter last year. His final 2023 tallies are as follows: 3,479 yards, 22 TDs, 6 INTs and a 78.3 QBR. Beyond the stat line, he seemed to have matured with another year in Austin, and he looked the part as the starting quarterback for the University of Texas. He was also good enough to be considered an NFL prospect this year. He elected to return to Austin due to the strength of this year’s quarterback class and for one more bite at the national title apple.
But the thing about that 2023 Texas offense was that it always felt like there was another gear to reach. It was good, but it could’ve been great. The offensive line was there. High-level skill position players were littered across the roster. And though Ewers was good, in truth, he was rarely great. He struggled to connect on shot plays and his limited arm power stood out in their CFP loss to Washington.
He did enough to keep his starting job in most cases. But unfortunately for him, nothing about Texas and Arch Manning falls under the most cases category.
The Allure of Arch Manning
The phrase uncharted waters probably gets overused, but in Arch Manning's case it fits. In my sixteen or so sports-conscious years on Earth, outside of NBA superstar Kawhi Leonard, I can’t remember an athlete quite like him. In Arch’s case, it feels like we know a lot about him, but in reality, we don’t know anything at all.
We know that Arch is the heir to the Manning family football throne. He stems from an unheralded quarterback lineage, stretching from grandfather Archie Manning to uncles Peyton and Eli. SEC royalty, if you will.
We also know that he’s extremely sheltered. Not in a weird way, but just that his family has been very calculated with how they’ve sculpted his image. Arch isn’t a TikToker. He barely attended football camps in high school. He hasn’t secured a lucrative NIL bag (outside of one deal with trading card company Panini), and rumor has it that money is going to charity. Most recently, he’s the biggest college football star that has so far elected to not be a part of the new EA Sports College Football 25 video game.
When it comes to the actual football side of Arch Manning, we know very little. He’s presumably very good, otherwise he wouldn’t have been a 5-star and arguably the hottest recruit we’ve ever seen. He played at a small, private high school in New Orleans against questionable competition. And truthfully, no one can say for certain whether or not he’ll touch the lofty heights of Archie, Peyton or Eli.
As a freshman, he was buried on the depth chart behind Ewers and fellow high-profile quarterback Malik Murphy. He only played in one game last year in mop-up duty against Texas Tech and finished with a 2-5 for 30-yard stat line.
But in this year’s spring game, the general public got a glimpse at what could be coming from the heir to the Manning throne. I’m generally skeptical of what we often see in spring games, but his stat line is hard to deny. He completed 19-of-25 passes for 355 yards and 3 TDs, including a 75-yard bomb where the ball traveled 50-something yards in the air. Sheesh.
Is Sarkisian Listening?
Arch Manning is far from the first college quarterback with sky-high expectations who had to wait his turn. But he will be the ultimate litmus test for Steve Sarkisian in 2024.
Is the unknown surrounding Arch Manning–his presence under pressure, in-game ability and whether or not he can help Texas hit that other gear–worth sacrificing a known, and seemingly improving commodity in starter Quinn Ewers? In truth, probably not. If things go as planned, Ewers will remain the starter. But if things go sideways, well, we might be talking about something else.
Right now, we’re months away from fall camp and the start of the 2024 college football season. In Odyssey terms, Sarkisian (the Texas ship captain) is just starting to set sail. The boat is barely wet, and I’d bet you that Sark can already hear the hum of that sweet, sweet tune.
In the story, Odysseus devised a plan to steer his ship past the Sirens while still hearing their song. He sealed the ears of his sailors with wax so they were unable to hear the sounds. He then had this sailors tie him firmly to the ship’s mast so that he would be unable to move.
Unfortunately for Steve Sarkisian, silencing the college football noise is a lot harder than it might seem. Last year was good, but the UT fanbase and boosters want more. If Ewers performs well, maybe the noise won’t matter. But if he doesn’t, you have to think Sarkisian could be all ears.
Will Sarkisian stay the course with Quinn Ewers? Or, when the waters get rough, will he become seduced by the Siren song of Arch Manning and chart a new path for his football program?