Why Arch Manning went through the tough wait for his Texas chance

It took two years, but the Arch Manning era is just about to begin for Texas.Despite the long wait behind now NFL-bound Quinn Ewers, Manning explained Thursday that he never would have transferred to leave this dream behind.“It was tough.I mean, it’s tough at this age,” he said in his first media appearance of the spring in Austin.

“But, I hope it pays off.Like I said, there’s nowhere else I want to be.

I want to be at Texas.I have friends here.

I love this place.I wanted to be the quarterback at the University of Texas.

Sometimes it’s worth the wait.”Manning enters his first season as a starter with pressure to perform, and not just because he is the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning and grandson of Archie Manning.The Longhorns have yet to win a national championship since 2005, and last year, they fell in the semifinal of the College Football Playoff to Ohio State — the eventual national champions — by two touchdowns to finish the 2024 campaign.And, as a fitting first test for Manning, he will face the Buckeyes in the season opener in Columbus on Aug.30.Upon reflecting on his last two seasons of mostly waiting in the wings, Manning came to realize that Ewers probably had a tough job navigating things with a famous last name lurking just behind him.“He’s just been so good to me over the years, it’s probably pretty annoying having me as a backup, just with all the media stuff,” Manning said.

“But he handled it like a champ.He was so good to me along the way.”Since arriving on campus, Manning didn’t have the easiest of transitions to college life compared to a typical college student.However, his younger brother and soon-to-be sophomore, Heid, humbled Manning upon joining him at Texas, saying he “doesn’t know how to work a microwave.”On Thursday, Manning stated he wouldn’t have been able to navigate the spotlight without a trusted group of friends.“That’s been tough but I think I have good people to lean on for that ty...