Sports
Is Arch Manning ready to take over at Texas, then the NFL? Just ask his former teammates
INDIANAPOLIS — Arch Manning is at least a year away from fielding questions at the NFL Scouting Combine. Still, his former Texas teammates fully expect the sophomore quarterback to eventually join them at the highest level.
“I think he can,” wide receiver Matthew Golden said Friday. “He has the heart to do it. Arch comes in each and every day, and he goes to work. He acts like a walk-on. He has a story. He’s trying to make a name for himself.”
Manning started two games for the Longhorns last year as a redshirt freshman while filling in for injured starter Quinn Ewers. Manning, who stands 6 feet 4 and weighs 225 pounds, finished the season with 939 passing yards, nine touchdowns, two interceptions and a 67.8 completion percentage.
The nephew of Peyton Manning and Eli Manning and the grandson of Archie Manning — all first-round NFL quarterbacks — the youngest Manning rushed for 108 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries. His 67-yard touchdown sprint against UTSA was the longest by a Texas quarterback since Vince Young’s 80-yard run in 2005.
“He’s an amazing thrower, but what shocked me the most is that he can run,” receiver Isaiah Bond said. “I wasn’t expecting that at all, but Arch has some wheels on him. I’ve just never seen a quarterback run like that before, especially because he’s a big guy, too. So, to be moving at that speed, he is pretty amazing.”
In the past 25 years, Manning is the only FBS or NFL QB to post a touchdown pass exceeding 75 yards, a touchdown run for more than 65 yards and another 50-yard scoring pass in the same game. Manning did that against UTSA, a game he didn’t even start. Manning spelled Ewers in that game and completed 9 of 12 passes for four touchdowns and 223 yards while rushing for his 67-yarder in a 56-7 win.
Arch Manning, right, started two games in 2024 when Quinn Ewers was out with an injury. (David Buono / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
As the nation’s No. 1 recruit in 2023, Manning immediately applied pressure to Ewers, who was No. 1 in 2021. Then with those performances, Manning’s presence intensified the tension on Ewers, which forced him to continually improve to remain a starter.
“It says in the Bible, iron sharpens iron,” Ewers said. “So, it was good for me and him to kind of get to work together. And we both are competing for the same job, but us being pals off the field was good for us as well.
“I wouldn’t trade any of that, because it’s the reality of the position. There’s always going to be a big name in the room or around the room. So, I’m glad that he was a part of our team, and I’m glad that I had to hear about it as well.”
After his two starts against Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State, Manning played sparingly the rest of the season, completing 6 of 12 passes for 38 yards and rushing 12 times for 26 yards and a touchdown. The Longhorns reached the College Football Playoff semifinals in their first SEC campaign.
With Ewers eyeing an NFL career, it’s Manning’s time to stand out at Texas. And his former teammates believe he is ready for the spotlight.
“He’s gonna be a great player,” Ewers said. “He’s a hard-working kid. I think that he has some traits that I had as well. He’s definitely got poise and composure, and I think that he’s ready for any moment that arises because he sat behind me, he saw how I did it. And then obviously he’s going to have his ways that he’s going to want to do it.”
“He can spin the ball real well,” Golden said. “He can run the ball, too. I feel like there’s nothing Arch can’t do. So, I’m excited to see what he’s going to do next year. For his caliber, how young he is, he understands the game at a high level.
“You can tell when he’s in the game. So, just waiting for him to get the opportunity to start. It’s gonna be good.”
(Top photo: Matthew Visinsky / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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The PGA Tour has announced that it will not be hosting an event in Hawaii during the 2027 season, ending a 56-year run of holding a tournament in The Aloha State. The change comes as the Tour and CEO Brian Rolapp have consistently teased a revamped schedule beginning next year.
The Tour was forced to cancel The Sentry at the start of the 2026 campaign due to the dying grass on the Plantation Course at Kapalua amid a local dispute with the company responsible for delivering water to the area.
An aerial view of the golf course from over the ocean prior to The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on December 31, 2023 in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR)
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With The Sentry being canceled, the Sony Open at Waialae Country on Oahu served as the Tour’s season opener in ‘26, which was won by Chris Gotterup. The event was in the final year of its sponsorship, although the Tour has shared that it is working toward making the event the opening event on the PGA Tour Champions circuit.
Chris Gotterup of the United States celebrates with the trophy on the 18th green after his winning round of the Sony Open in Hawaii 2026 at Waialae Country Club on January 18, 2026 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images) (Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
The Tour’s removal of The Sentry and the Sony Open wipes out what has now turned into a traditional two-week stretch on the island to begin a new season.
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The PGA Tour did not share further details about the 2027 schedule upon its announcement about leaving Hawaii, but with Sentry reportedly being an event title-sponsor through 2035, it will need to find a new landing spot on the calendar. The logical stop would be Torrey Pines in San Diego, which checks the West Coast and great weather boxes, but the venue is also looking for a new sponsor, as its deal with Farmers Insurance ended in 2026.
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View of the 18th hole is seen during the final round of The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on January 5, 2025 in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
The Tour’s decision not to begin next season in Hawaii makes sense, as there are plenty of venues in the lower 48 states that are much easier to operate from, but the departure will have a tremendous financial impact on the state.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that The Sentry is estimated to have a $50 million annual impact on the community, while the Sony Open directly generates an estimated $100 million in revenue per year, plus another $1 million per year to Friends of Hawaii charities.
Martin Dugard is a prolific author and writer. He’s also an assistant cross-country coach at Santa Margarita after being head coach at JSerra for 15 years.
His newest book is “The Long Run,” which discusses the 1970s running boom and is a narrative history of four who sparked the marathon boom: Steve Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit Samuelson and Grete Waitz.
He’s going to have a book signing on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, 26751 Aliso Creek Rd., Aliso Viejo.
Don’t be surprised if he tries to run from Rancho Santa Margarita to his book signing.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
For years, Stephen A. Smith’s many football blunders have been easy enough to explain away.
He’s not an NFL guy (remember when he said the three key players for a game were three guys who weren’t playing in the game?)
Stephen A. Smith falsely claimed the Warriors haven’t made the playoffs since 2022, but Golden State reached the second round in both 2023 and 2025. (Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)
He’s definitely not a college football guy (remember when he called Jalen Milroe Jalen “Milroy” multiple times and then read the wrong stat line after a College Football Playoff game?).
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ESPN forces him into those conversations because First Take has to talk football, and Smith knows that football is the most popular sport in the country and he needs to be seen as an authority (even though he isn’t).
But Monday’s latest mistake is a lot tougher to excuse, because this time Smith wasn’t talking about the NFL or college football. He was talking about the Golden State Warriors, one of the defining NBA dynasties of the last decade.
In other words, he was talking about the sport and the league that’s supposed to be his bread and butter.
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While discussing whether Steve Kerr has coached his last game with Golden State, Smith confidently stated the Warriors “haven’t been back to the playoffs since that championship in 2022.”
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr looks on during a game against the Sacramento Kings. (Robert Edwards/Imagn Images)
That’s not even close to true. Not only did Golden State make the playoffs last season, but they also reached the postseason in 2023. Last year, the Warriors made the playoffs, beat the Rockets in seven games and advanced to the second round before losing to the Timberwolves. In 2023, they beat the Sacramento Kings in the first round and before losing to the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals.
So, Smith wouldn’t even have been right if he said they haven’t won a playoff series since 2022. But he didn’t say that. He said they didn’t make the playoffs in any of the past four years, except they did it twice.
Yikes.
This is not an obscure piece of NBA trivia that Smith could be easily forgiven for not knowing. Perhaps he was too busy playing solitaire on his phone and just missed two of the past three NBA postseasons. That’s a tough look for the guy who fancies himself as the No. 1 NBA analyst in the country.
And it’s a terrible look for ESPN, as they keep selling Smith as one of the faces of their NBA coverage.
Stephen A. Smith made a brutal gaffe while talking Warriors playoff history
If Smith made this kind of mistake while talking about the NFL, nobody would be shocked. At this point, sports fans practically expect him to butcher football analysis. It’s almost endearing that a guy with the ego of Smith can be so consistently wrong while also delivering every “fact” with the utmost confidence. It’s part of the Stephen A. experience.
But this one hits differently because the NBA is where he’s supposed to at least know the basics. This is where Smith prides himself as being an authority figure.
Stephen A. Smith incorrectly stated the Golden State Warriors haven’t made the playoffs since their 2022 championship, despite the team reaching the postseason twice since then. (Candice Ward/Imagn Images)
And yet he couldn’t keep the recent playoff history of the Warriors straight. The team whose head coach is in the news every other week. The team that has won four championships since 2014. Arguably one of the most important franchises in the NBA over the past 15 years.
Yes, Golden State missed the playoffs in 2024 after getting bounced in the Play-In Tournament (although they won 46 games that season). And yes, it fell short again this season. But that’s a lot different from acting like Steve Kerr has spent four years wandering the basketball wilderness since winning that 2022 title.
He hasn’t. In fact, the team is 175-153 in the past four regular seasons.
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The Warriors made the second round in 2023. They made the second round again in 2025.
Before burying Steve Kerr on national television, maybe Stephen A. Smith could take 10 seconds to confirm whether the Warriors were actually, you know, in the playoffs.
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