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)
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Folarin Balogun’s teammates came to his defense after the USA World Cup star was given a red card during the team’s 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday night.
Balogun received the red card after he stepped on defender Tarik Muharemovic’s right ankle. Brazilian referee Raphael Claus only gave Balogun the card after a VAR review. The red card meant Balogun will not be able to play in the team’s Round of 16 match against Belgium.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
United States’ Folarin Balogun, right, stands by after being issued a red card by Referee Raphael Claus, of Brazil, as United States’ Weston McKennie (8) looks on during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between the United States and Bosnia in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Francisco, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
A FIFA official told The Athletic a team cannot appeal against the red card or the suspension. The official pointed the outlet to a portion of the organization’s rules and regulations, which states, “A sending-off automatically incurs suspension from the subsequent match. The FIFA judicial bodies may impose additional match suspensions and other disciplinary measures.”
Balogun’s teammate, Weston McKennie, called the lack of an appeal process “bogus” and disagreed with the referee’s decision to issue the red card.
Bosnia’s Sead Kolasinac (5) talks to United States’ Folarin Balogun after Balogun was sent off, as Christian Pulisic (10) watches during the World Cup round of 32 match between the United States and Bosnia in Santa Clara, Calif., Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (Julio Cortez / AP)
“Obviously the ref made a decision that he made, but I think it’s questionable,” McKennie said. “I think there’s been many other plays like that throughout the tournament on other players that a card wasn’t given at all. It’s disappointing.”
U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said Balogun’s act “was never intentional.”
“It’s never a red card. Never. … If the intention is to damage the opponent, OK, I understand. But that never was. It was a normal action in football that you are fighting for the ball and your feet land,” he said.
Balogun is the third player to score in a World Cup knockout match and be sent off. He follows Brazil’s Ronaldinho in 2002’s quarterfinal match against England and France’s Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 World Cup final against Italy.
Referee Raphael Claus of Brazil shows a red card to United States’ Folarin Balogun, right, during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between the United States and Bosnia in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Francisco, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
It’s the fifth red card handed to an American in the squad’s World Cup history.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Eric Wynalda received one against Czechoslovakia in 1990, Fernando Clavijo got one against Brazil in 1994 and Pablo Mastroeni and Eddie Pope each received one against Italy in 2006.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
While veterans jockey for new contracts during free agency, young players are getting their tryout opportunities with NBA summer league games beginning this week.
First-round draft pick Cameron Carr and second-year forward Adou Thiero highlight the Lakers summer league roster that was announced Wednesday. The 16-man team will be coached by Lakers assistant coach Ty Abbott and begin summer league play Friday against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center.
The Lakers also face the Miami Heat (July 5, 1:30 p.m.) and San Antonio Spurs (July 6, 4:30 p.m.) in the California Classic before playing in the Las Vegas summer league from July 9-19. The Lakers play Oklahoma City (July 10), Dallas (July 11), the Clippers (July 14) and Chicago (July 16) in Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack Center.
The Lakers traded up in the draft to get Carr, a 6-foot-5 guard out of Baylor, with the 24th overall pick. He will make his unofficial NBA debut, along with former Indiana State and Saint Louis star Robbie Avila. The 6-10 center became a bespectacled college basketball cult hero known affectionately as “Cream Abdul Jabbar” while leading Indiana State to the NIT championship game in 2024. He transferred to Saint Louis, where he was named Atlantic-10 player of the year as a senior when the Billikens won a school-record 29 wins.
Although he is entering his second season with the Lakers, Thiero will be playing his first summer league games. Persistent knee injuries hampered his rookie season. The athletic 6-7 forward averaged 1.9 points and 1.1 rebounds in 25 appearances last season. He said after the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs that he wanted to improve on his three-point shooting during his second year. He attempted only five three-pointers during his rookie season, regular season and playoffs, making one.
Lakers summer league roster
Robbie Avila, C, 6-10, 240
Cameron Carr, G, 6-5, 190
Jon Elmore, G, 6-3, 190
Luke Goode, F, 6-7, 210
William Hickey, G, 6-4, 203
Arthur Kaluma, F, 6-7, 225
William Kyle III, C, 6-9, 230
Chris Mañon, G, 6-4, 212
Robert McCray V, G, 6-4, 188
AK Okereke, F, 6-7, 245
Chase Ross, G, 6-5, 210
Zhaire Smith, G, 6-4, 205
Peter Suder, G, 6-5, 215
Adou Thiero, F, 6-7, 234
Anton Watson, F, 6-8, 225
Jacari White, G, 6-3, 180
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
U.S. men’s national team star Folarin Balogun received a red card in the second half of their Round of 32 World Cup matchup against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday night.
Balogun was making a challenge on a ball when he stepped on an opposing player’s leg.
The U.S. men’s national team is down to 10 players for the rest of the match. If the U.S. holds their 1-0 lead, Balogun will have to miss the Round of 16 game.
Balogun scored for the U.S. in the first half.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
-
Indiana3 minutes agoIndiana BMV, ISP dispel rumours about Blackout license plates
-
Kansas7 minutes agoLinn County, Kansas, man killed in early Thursday crash
-
Kentucky18 minutes agoA Kentucky big man is predicted to be one of the SEC’s breakout stars this season
-
Louisiana25 minutes agoA little history lesson on the Revolutionary War, and Louisiana’s role
-
Maine28 minutes agoMaine justices to decide fate of transgender sports ballot question
-
Maryland33 minutes agoSearch underway for missing man in Potomac River near Great Falls Park in Maryland
-
Michigan40 minutes agoOcasio-Cortez backs El-Sayed in Michigan U.S. Senate race
-
Massachusetts43 minutes agoImproving Long-Term Care for Seniors in Massachusetts – Center for Retirement Research
