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)
Sports
Olympic medalist suffers serious injuries after ‘death-defying’ skateboarding stunt
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An Olympic medalist and 13-time X Games winner suffered serious head injuries after a stunt went wrong.
Nyjah Huston, who won bronze in Paris in 2024, said he suffered a fractured skull and eye socket.
“A harsh reminder how death-defying skating massive rails can be…” Huston wrote in an Instagram post which included a photo of himself in a hospital bed. “Taking it one day at a time. I hope yall had a better new years then me. We live to fight another day.”
Nyjah Huston of the United States competes in the men’s street prelims during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at La Concorde 3. (Jack Gruber/USA TODAY Sports)
The post also featured Huston being treated by first responders and friends, along with another photo showing a large black-and-blue mark on Huston’s eye.
Numerous skating legends showed their support for Huston, who is considered one of the best skateboarders in the United States today.
Nyjah Huston of Team USA reacts at the Skateboarding Men’s Street Prelims on day two of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Urban Sports Park on July 25, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
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“Been watching @nyjah grow up into one of the best skaters to ever do it and it amazes me the amount of grit this kid has,” Shaun White shared on his Instagram story, via Pro Football Network. “You got this brother. Heal quick!”
Even Tony Hawk shared well-wishes on Huston’s Instagram post.
“Heavy. Stay strong; we know you’ll be back,” the skateboarding legend wrote.
“Man.. prayers for healing brother!” added Ryan Sheckler.
It is unknown whether Huston was wearing a helmet at the time of the incident.
Nyjah Huston, of the United States, celebrates during the men’s skateboard street final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Huston has seven gold medals and five silvers in world championships. He has not competed since the 2024 Olympics, but the California native has his eyes set on the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
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Sports
Prep talk: JuJu Watkins returns to Sierra Canyon on Friday
JuJu Watkins is returning to Sierra Canyon High on Friday, the place where she was a high school basketball All-American.
The school will hold a ceremony retiring her jersey at halftime of the boys’ basketball game between Sierra Canyon and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.
She will be presented with a framed jersey.
Watkins is sitting out this season at USC while recovering from a knee injury.
Sierra Canyon girls’ basketball coach Alicia Komaki said, “She raised our standards, which was hard to do because we had won four state championships. She was an incredibly talented player.”
Watkins was also making a huge impact in the college game until her injury last season during the NCAA playoffs.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Sports
Miami beats Ole Miss behind Carson Beck’s game-winning touchdown to reach CFP National Championship Game
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The Miami Hurricanes are heading to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, coming away with a narrow victory over Ole Miss, 31-27, in an all-time postseason contest.
The Hurricanes will now await the winner of the other semifinal between the Indiana Hoosiers and Oregon Ducks to see who they will play on Jan. 19. But Miami will do so on their home turf, with the National Championship Game being played at Hard Rock Stadium – the site of their home games.
The game began slowly for both teams, with only Miami getting on the scoreboard in the first quarter with a field goal on their 13-play opening drive. But the fireworks came out from there for the Rebels thanks to the speed of running back Kewan Lacy.
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Charmar Brown of the Miami (FL) Hurricanes celebrates a run in the first quarter of the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Steve Limentani/ISI Photos)
On just the second play of the second quarter, Lacy was off to the race, finding a seam and busting out a 73-yard touchdown run to go up 7-3 after the extra point.
But this game was back and forth for quite some time, including the ensuing Hurricanes drive as quarterback Carson Beck led the way on a 15-play touchdown series with a CharMar Brown rushing score from four yards out.
The game was deadlocked at 10 apiece when Beck decided to air it out to Keelan Marion, and it was worth the risk. Marion made the grab for a 52-yard touchdown to help Miami go up 17-13 at halftime.
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The third quarter was an odd one for both squads, as their opening drives resulted in a missed field goal apiece. Then, after Beck threw an interception, the Rebels were able to cut the lead to 17-16 in favor of the Hurricanes heading into the fourth quarter for the ages.
There was no absence of electric plays when it mattered most in the final 15 minutes, as Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss got his team downfield enough to take a 19-17 lead with a field goal.
But the speed of Malachi Toney changed the scoreboard for Miami in the best way possible, as he took a screen 36 yards to the house, capping a four-play, 75-yard answer drive for the Hurricanes right after Ole Miss took the lead.
Trinidad Chambliss of the Ole Miss Rebels celebrates a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes in the second quarter during the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
With a 24-19 lead and five minutes left to play in the game, Chambliss and the Rebels’ offense had quite enough time to retake the lead. He did just that, finding trusty tight end Dae’Quan Wright for 24 yards to send the Rebels faithful ballistic.
Ole Miss wanted to go for two in hopes of making it a three-point lead, and Chambliss came through again, finding a wide open Caleb Odom for the key score.
It was up to Beck and the Miami offense to keep the game alive with at least tying the game at 27 apiece. On a crucial third-and-10 just inside field goal range, Beck was confident with his pass to Marion to get well within range. Another pass to Marion made it first-and-goal, and it was clear Miami wasn’t trying to force overtime. They wanted to win it all.
How fitting was it that Beck, scanning the field, found a seam to his left and just sprinted for the colored paint to score the game-winner with 18 seconds left.
But things got fascinating at the end, with Ole Miss going 40 yards in just a few seconds to set up a Hail Mary for the win. Chambliss had the space to loft a pass to the end zone, and though it hit off the hand of a teammate, it landed incomplete for the Miami victory.
Carson Beck of the Miami Hurricanes passes the ball against the Ole Miss Rebels in the first quarter during the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
In the box score, Beck was 23-of-37 for 268 yards with his two passing touchdowns and an interception. Marion was a key player in the victory with seven catches for 114 yards, while Mark Fletcher Jr. set the tone in the ground game with 133 yards rushing on 22 carries. Toney also tallied 81 receiving yards for Miami.
For Ole Miss, Chambliss also went 23-of-37 for 277 yards with his touchdown to Wright, who finished with 64 yards on three grabs. De’Zhaun Stribling was five for 77 through the air, while Lacy rushed for 103 yards on 11 carries.
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