Arch Manning has a recognizable name, superstar potential and a spot on the Texas football roster. Despite his obvious monetary value, however, the true freshman quarterback didn't take a single dollar for his name, image and likeness (NIL) when he committed to the Longhorns, according to coach Steve Sarkisian.
"Zero," Sarkisian said at the Touchdown Club of Houston when asked how much money it cost to land Manning's commitment. "You want a story on this? I got it. So, Arch Manning, everybody is under the assumption that this was an NIL deal for him to come to the University of Texas. It was absolutely not.
"He's taken zero money from NIL," Sarkisian continued, recounting a text message he received from Arch's father, Cooper Manning. "In the end, his dad texted me and said, 'If there's a message to tell any of the other recruits you're recruiting, it's that Arch Manning is coming to Texas because he loves the University of Texas. He loves the coaches, and he loves the program. This is not about NIL.'"
Sarkisian explained that Arch's legendary quarterback grandfather, Archie Manning, is also on board with a slow approach to Arch taking money as a college athlete.
"The beauty of it for us, here's the guy that has an NIL value of whatever it is, and this guy's grandpa won't let him take NIL money," Sarkisian said. " He [Archie] said, 'You can take NIL money when you become a player, when you start.' So, that's an interesting perspective from Archie."
Arch Manning ended the 2023 recruiting cycle as the No. 1 prospect in the country with a perfect rating, according to 247Sports. He faces an uphill battle for early playing time, however; incumbent Quinn Ewers, a former No. 1 prospect himself, has already been named the starter and former four-star prospect Maalik Murphy looks like a capable backup. Ewers completed 16 of 23 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown in the Texas spring game, while Murphy connected on 9 of 13 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown. Manning completed 5 of 13 passes for 30 yards, underscoring the fact that he remains early in his development after joining the Longhorns for spring practice in advance of his true freshman season.
"Arch, just getting two feet on the ground in Austin, Texas," Sarkisian said. "Just getting acclimated to being in college, here's college offense, here's the speed of the game. How do you get acclimated to it?"
Sarkisian has made it clear that Ewers is the program's top quarterback heading into the summer before the Longhorns start preseason practice in advance of their Sept. 2 season opener against Rice.
"They were all at varying stages, and they all had different things they were focusing on," Sarkisian said of his quarterbacks' spring performance. "Obviously, Quinn had a lot more experience than the other two guys, having played."
Few true freshmen quarterbacks made early impacts at the Power Five during the 2022 college football season, though five-star prospects such Clemson's Cade Klubnik and Texas A&M's Conner Weigman stepped into starting roles late in the season.
