DALLAS 鈥 Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian, if you haven鈥檛 noticed, is busy, surely too preoccupied amid his team鈥檚 College Football Playoff run for a one-on-one phone interview.
Somehow, though, Sarkisian between team meetings and broader media obligations found a few minutes to talk, anyway, seemingly because he鈥檇 been told The Dallas Morning News wanted to inquire about one of his favorite topics.
Quarterbacks. Plural, in Texas鈥 case.
Specifically, how has Sarkisian and his staff, in four years, built a culture that has positioned Texas to become college football鈥檚 latest Quarterback U 鈥 if it isn鈥檛 already?
The Longhorns (13-2) will come to AT&T Stadium for next Friday鈥檚 Goodyear Cotton Bowl clash against Ohio State (12-2) armed with inarguably the best quarterback tandem of not just the four CFP semifinalists, but all 134 Football Bowl Subdivision schools.
Southlake Carroll product Quinn Ewers was the nation鈥檚 No. 1 Class of 2021 quarterback recruit. His Longhorn backup Arch Manning was No. 1 in 2023. How has Texas not only lured, but so far kept both during this volatile name, image and likeness and transfer-portal era?
鈥淥ne of the things we do is be ourselves,鈥 Sarkisian said. 鈥淲e believe in relationships. We believe in connection with all of our players, but most notably the quarterback.
鈥淚 think when you鈥檙e authentic and real and honest and you start forging that relationship, it lessens that barrier between coach and player and allows a relationship to form.鈥
It certainly helps that Sarkisian, 50, was a standout quarterback at BYU and has one of college football鈥檚 most innovative offensive minds.
The Sarkisian-Ewers relationship, in particular, was on vivid display during Texas鈥 CFP wins over Clemson and Arizona State and is an integral part of the 89th Cotton Bowl鈥檚 most notable subplot.
Ohio State, after all, is the school and coach from which Ewers transferred to Texas on Dec. 12, 2021, after one season of backing up C.J. Stroud for the Buckeyes.
鈥淗e decided he wanted to play [right away],鈥 Ohio State coach Ryan Day recalled Friday during a Cotton Bowl media conference call. 鈥淚t was disappointing for us, but we certainly understood.鈥
Ewers鈥 decision to transfer was, in a sense, a full-circle moment. Before his junior season at Carroll, in the summer of 2020, he had committed to Texas, his lifelong favorite school, only to decommit and flip to Ohio State three months later as UT鈥檚 Tom Herman Era soured.
At Ohio State, where he became the first college athlete to earn more than $1 million in NIL money, Ewers took only two snaps, both handoffs against Michigan State.
Bolting back to Texas wasn鈥檛 without risk. The Longhorns had just finished 5-7 in Sarkisian鈥檚 first season of succeeding Herman 鈥 who from 2011-14 had been Urban Meyer鈥檚 offensive coordinator and quarterback guru at Ohio State.
Sarkisian and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach A.J. Milwee were able to woo Ewers back to Austin, all the while recruiting Manning starting in Jan. 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Day and Ohio State? Since Stroud鈥檚 2022 departure to the NFL鈥檚 Houston Texans, the Buckeyes have cycled through quarterbacks Kyle McCord, Devin Brown and this season鈥檚 23-year-old starter, Will Howard, who played his first four college seasons at Kansas State.
Day, embattled entering this CFP run due to his 1-4 record against Michigan, almost certainly has wondered what might have been, recalling Friday how he first offered Ewers a scholarship when he was an eighth grader at Ohio State鈥檚 summer camp.
鈥淔rom afar I鈥檝e watched him and he鈥檚 got a lot of talent,鈥 Day said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a really good player. He comes from a great family and he鈥檚 had a great career at Texas. A lot of people here still have good relationships with him. And think the world of him.鈥
The four intangibles
While reporters and Texas fans speculate whether 21-year-old Ewers will enter the NFL draft or the transfer portal for a reported $6 million NIL payday, all other FBS schools would love to have the Longhorns鈥 鈥減roblem鈥 of having 19-year-old, eminently pedigreed Manning in the wings.
There are multiple reasons Texas is the only school that made last year鈥檚 four-team CFP playoff and this season鈥檚 12-team version, but none bigger than the foundation that鈥檚 been built at quarterback.
When Ewers suffered an oblique strain early in the second quarter of this season鈥檚 third game, against UTSA, Manning almost seamlessly stepped in to finish that win and lead blowout victories over Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State.
In the program鈥檚 bigger picture, Texas has non-binding oral commitments from Class of 2025 No. 15-ranked quarterback KJ Lacey and 2026鈥瞫 No. 3 quarterback Dia Bell.
So, theoretically Texas鈥 foreseeable quarterback future appears bright, though Sarkisian told The News that rankings aren鈥檛 among the ingredients the program looks for in quarterbacks.
Sarkisian cited four intangibles above others.
鈥淥ne, is he a true competitor? I think so many teams when people go to evaluate quarterbacks, they look at height, arm strength, size, speed,鈥 Sarkisian said. 鈥淎nd one of the things we really dive into is 鈥楧oes he have that innate, true competitor inside of him?鈥
鈥淪ometimes you can see that watching the tape. Sometimes you have to go watch him play in person. Sometimes you watch him at practice. Sometimes you go watch him play another sport: basketball, baseball. Sometimes it鈥檚 just being around him and listening to him talk.鈥
Ewers is not fiery in an outward sense, on or off the field. Sarkisian, though, cites Ewers鈥 knack for rising in big moments, none more pressure-filled than the Peach Bowl, when Texas faced fourth-and-13 and a 31-24 first-overtime deficit against Arizona State.
Ewers, playing in his 35th career game and facing perhaps the final play of his college career, checked into max protection at the line of scrimmage, anticipated a seemingly covered Matthew Golden breaking open and threw a 28-yard touchdown strike.
Which brings us to the second quarterback intangible that Sarkisian values.
鈥淭hey have to have natural leadership skills,鈥 he said. 鈥淎nd when I say that I mean, 鈥楧o they make the other guys around them believe?鈥 That鈥檚 something a quarterback has to have; it doesn鈥檛 matter at what level.
鈥淒o they instill belief in the organization, in their teammates and coaches, in the staff, in the fan base, that when he takes the field we鈥檙e gonna be OK. That then lends itself to the leadership aspect, that when they speak, when they act, people respond.鈥
The third intangible?
鈥淩esiliency,鈥 Sarkisian said. 鈥淧laying quarterback is not perfect. You have ups and downs, but how you respond to adversity at quarterback, I think, is really critical.鈥
For instance, when your team watches a 24-8 Peach Bowl lead crumble into an overtime deficit and you respond with touchdown passes on consecutive overtime plays.
鈥淚 just try to be that calm within the storm for all the guys,鈥 Ewers said. 鈥淎nd I think my relationship with Jesus Christ has helped me in that specific way, of knowing that no matter whatever happens He鈥檚 going to be there for me; He鈥檚 going to love me.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the reality of it.鈥
Sarkisian鈥檚 fourth intangible?
鈥淒o you throw a catchable ball? When you throw passes, are they complete, or are you a guy who has a lot of drops?鈥
A natural rapport
In Sept. 2022, The News traveled to New Orleans to feature high-profile Longhorn commit Manning, who at the time was early in his senior season at Isidore Newman School, where his uncles Peyton and Eli starred at quarterback, as did Arch鈥檚 father Cooper at receiver.
Cooper Manning and Isidore Newman coach Nelson Stewart remarked about the organic way Sarkisian and Longhorns quarterback coach Milwee forged a connection with Arch.
Milwee, now 38, had been an offensive analyst at Alabama in 2019-20, coinciding with Sarkisian鈥檚 stint as Nick Saban鈥檚 offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Stewart marveled that Milwee could watch a 10-second video clip of Arch and offer verbal notes about his footwork, body lean, route reads and release.
鈥淗e understands how Arch learns,鈥 Stewart said. 鈥淎rch is very detailed. So is A.J. They鈥檙e practically the same person; both humble.鈥
Because of COVID-19, the first time Manning and Stewart spoke 鈥渇ace-to-face鈥 with Sarkisian and Milwee was via Zoom call.
鈥淚 turned on the Zoom and I鈥檓 looking at A.J. for the first time and he said, 鈥楬ey, how are we doing?鈥欌 Stewart recalled. 鈥淎nd then Sark came on and you just saw him and Arch [relate] right away. It was like, 鈥楤am.鈥 鈥
Perhaps the natural rapport helps explain why Manning, in his words and from all appearances, has steadfastly maintained his commitment to the Longhorn program.
It remains to be seen whether Ewers-Manning will be reminiscent of the Vince Young-Colt McCoy succession, which resulted in the 2005 national championship and 2009 title game berth, but with Texas in its second straight CFP semifinal, the dream isn鈥檛 hard to visualize.
Bigger picture, might Texas be able to sustain a longer Quarterback U legacy, like Purdue, Stanford, Miami and more recently Oklahoma and Alabama have done through the decades?
Sarkisian already has a blueprint. After all, he was part of BYU鈥檚 1970s-through-1990s Quarterback U heyday under coach LaVell Edwards and offensive coordinator Norm Chow.
鈥淲hen you think about all those great quarterbacks that have been at BYU 鈥 all the way back to Virgil Carter and Gifford Nielson, to Mark Wilson, Jim McMahon, Steve Young, Robbie Bosco, Ty Detmer and beyond that 鈥 they all had great competitive spirit,鈥 Sarkisian said.
Sarkisian, a transfer from El Camino Community College, guided the Cougars to finishes of 7-4 in 1995 and 14-1 in 1996, the latter marking the first time an FBS team reached 14 wins.
Sarkisian said Edwards had a way of instilling confidence in his quarterbacks during game weeks, and with his 鈥淜ISS鈥 approach 鈥 Keep It Simple, Stupid.
Naturally, Sarkisian didn鈥檛 mention his name among the BYU greats.
鈥淭hose guys were all tremendous leaders,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if any of them were the most talented physically. I don鈥檛 know if you went to a combine and said, 鈥楤oy, he鈥檚 the biggest; he鈥檚 the tallest; he鈥檚 the fastest; he鈥檚 got the greatest arm.
鈥淏ut they threw catchable balls and they instilled belief in everybody in Provo, Utah. I can tell you that. That鈥檚 why they won a bunch of games.鈥
As Sarkisian finished the brief phone conversation, voices could be heard in the background. Time to go. Time for another meeting.
Time to prepare for another CFP opponent, starting with quarterback planning. In Texas鈥 case, plural.