Arch Manning's Reason For Missing Texas' First Summer Workouts Is Great Reminder To Curb Expectations

Arch Manning will begin his second semester of college at the University of Texas in August. However, because he is on the football team, he was expected to arrive back in Austin last weekend with the rest of his teammates and incoming freshman class.

Except, Manning did not get back in time. He was just a little busy.

Arch Manning is back home. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

As Steve Sarkisian and his staff continue to prepare for next fall, the Longhorns are getting to work. Spring ball is a thing of the past, as is the spring semester. Summer is here, but with less than 100 days until the start of the 2023 regular season, the grind doesn't stop.

Texas welcomed a double-digit number of summer enrollees to campus over the last few days. Most of them are fresh out of high school, but there are also a few who came through the transfer portal.

They will join the returning athletes, like Arch Manning, for the summer workouts that got underway on Tuesday after the Memorial Day weekend. But the nation's No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2023 was not there— yet.

Manning was 500 miles away, back home in New Orleans. Although there was so much hype surrounding his recruitment, largely because of his last name, this week serves as a great reminder of why expectations need to be lowered.

Manning only turned 18 last month. He missed the early portion of summer workouts because he had to graduate from high school.

May Manning, Heid Manning, Ellen Heidingsfelder, Archibald Manning, Cooper Manning(Photo courtesy: Cooper Manning)

Isidore Newman School held commencement on Wednesday. The Longhorns got their summer workouts underway on Tuesday morning.

There were some scheduling conflicts, clearly.

Although it is unclear as to when Manning will head back to Texas and join his team, there isn't a huge rush. This fall will be spent mostly on the bench.

Quinn Ewers is QB1. Maalik Murphy, after choosing to turn down multiple opportunities to transfer, is QB2. Manning is QB3.

For Manning to enter the system back in January was huge for his development. He's a fantastic talent, with a massive ceiling, and there is a lot of chatter about his immediate future.

Carey Murdock of On3's Sooner Scoop recently questioned whether Ewers can maintain the starting job with Manning breathing down his neck. Specifically, he spoke about the game against Oklahoma in Week Six.

My question is — will there be a quarterback controversy? Will there be pressure on to play well? Because of one young Mr. five-star on the bench. If he doesn't play well to start the season, I don't know that Oklahoma faces Quinn Ewers in that game.

However, despite all of the narratives out there, there is no reason to rush him into the lineup. He's not quite ready yet. He's newly 18 and graduated high school on Wednesday, which serves as a great reminder to curb expectations.