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RK PLAYER POS HOMETOWN HT WT STARS GRADE SCHOOL

1 QB-PP Belleville, MI
Belleville High School 6’4” 205 92

2 OT Charlotte, NC
Providence Day School 6’6” 250 91

3 WR Saraland, AL
Saraland High School 6’0” 175 91

4 DE Miami, FL
Miami Central High School 6’4” 250 90

5 DT Savannah, GA
Savannah Christian Preparatory School 6’4” 270 90

6 CB Birmingham, AL
A. H. Parker High School 6’2” 185 90

7 WR Duncanville, TX
Duncanville High School 5’11” 180 89

8 CB Houston, TX
North Shore High School 6’2” 170 88

9 S Zephyrhills, FL
Zephyrhills High School 6’3” 170 88

10 OLB Ellaville, GA
Schley High School 6’3” 225 88

11 S Alabaster, AL
Thompson High School 6’2” 190 87

12 WR Jacksonville, FL
Mandarin High School 6’2” 185 87

13 OT Prichard, AL
Vigor High School 6’5” 290 87

14 WR Ackerman, MS
Choctaw County High School 6’4” 190 86

15 TE-H Los Alamitos, CA
Los Alamitos High School 6’5” 235 86

16 DT Manchester, GA
Manchester High School 6’6” 280 86

17 OT Las Vegas, NV
Bishop Gorman High School 6’6” 285 86

18 DE Edwardsville, IL
Edwardsville High School 6’4” 235 86

19 TE-Y Folkston, GA
Charlton County High School 6’7” 235 86

20 OG Las Vegas, NV
Bishop Gorman High School 6’3” 285 86

21 ATH Chattanooga, TN
Baylor School 6’3” 215 86

22 OT Roswell, GA
Fellowship Christian School 6’5” 255 86

23 OLB San Juan Capistrano, CA
JSerra Catholic High School 6’3” 210 86

24 OT Lewisville, TX
Lewisville High School 6’5” 290 86

25 QB-PP Brentwood, TN
Brentwood Academy 6’6” 185 86

26 ATH Selma, AL
Southside High School 6’2” 190 85

27 DE Birmingham, AL
Spain Park High School 6’7” 235 85

28 CB Winter Garden, FL
West Orange High School 6’0” 175 85

29 RB Metairie, LA
Saint Martins Episcopal School 6’0” 185 85

30 WR Tampa, FL
Tampa Bay Tech Senior High 6’4” 190 85

31 DE Norfolk, VA
Maury High School 6’6” 235 85

32 CB Atlanta, GA
Douglass High School 6’1” 185 85

33 RB Santa Ana, CA
Mater Dei High School 6’0” 215 85

34 CB Mission Viejo, CA
Mission Viejo High School 6’4” 185 85

35 OT Jacksonville, FL
Raines High School 6’5” 300 85

36 S Thomasville, GA
Thomas County Central High School 6’0” 175 84

37 RB Bradenton, FL
IMG Academy 6’1” 210 84

38 OLB Buford, GA
Buford High School 6’4” 210 84

39 RB Bradenton, FL
IMG Academy 5’9” 190 84

40 OLB Santa Ana, CA
Mater Dei High School 6’3” 215 84

41 CB Baltimore, MD
St. Frances Academy 5’11” 185 84

42 WR Santa Ana, CA
Mater Dei High School 6’0” 185 84

43 DE Houston, TX
Summer Creek High School 6’5” 230 84

44 S Monroe, NC
Monroe High School 6’0” 175 84

45 DE Troy, AL
Charles Henderson High School 6’4” 225 84

46 CB New Iberia, LA
Westgate High School 6’1” 180 84

47 QB-PP Saraland, AL
Saraland High School 6’0” 175 84

48 DE College Park, GA
Woodward Academy 6’3” 245 84

49 ATH Clayton, OH
Northmont Senior High School 6’2” 190 84

50 QB-PP Warner Robins, GA
Houston County High School 6’5” 215 84

51 RB Lynchburg, VA
Liberty Christian Academy 6’0” 195 84

52 DE Philadelphia, PA
Imhotep Institute Charter High School 6’6” 235 84

53 OLB La Verne, CA
Bonita High School 6’4” 215 84

54 S Washington, DC
Gonzaga College High School 6’0” 190 84

55 CB Katy, TX
Patricia E. Paetow High School 5’11” 175 84

56 RB Elba, AL
Elba High School 5’10” 190 84

57 OT Mesquite, TX
Horn High School 6’7” 280 84

58 OLB Galveston, TX
Ball High School 6’3” 210 84

59 CB Santa Ana, CA
Mater Dei High School 6’1” 185 84

60 RB Quitman, MS
Quitman High School 6’0” 205 84

61 OLB North Palm Beach, FL
The Benjamin School 6’5” 210 84

62 OT Spanish Fork, UT
Spanish Fork High School 6’8” 290 84

63 OLB McKinney, TX
McKinney High School 6’2” 205 84

64 CB Detroit, MI
Cass Technical High School 6’1” 180 83

65 WR Fulshear, TX
Jordan High School 6’1” 175 83

66 OLB Jesup, GA
Wayne County High School 6’1” 200 83

67 DE Tallahassee, FL
James S. Rickards High School 6’5” 250 83

68 S Pittsburg, CA
Pittsburg High School 6’2” 185 83

69 CB Buford, GA
Buford High School 5’10” 165 83

70 OT Evans, GA
Evans High School 6’6” 305 83

71 OLB Fort Pierce, FL
John Carroll High School 6’2” 215 83

72 OG Lilburn, GA
Parkview High School 6’4” 280 83

73 S Olney, MD
Our Lady of Good Counsel High School 6’2” 205 83

74 ATH Oradell, NJ
Bergen Catholic High 6’3” 200 83

75 OT Atlanta, GA
Westlake High School 6’8” 330 83

76 DT Lake City, SC
Lake City High School 6’5” 295 83

77 QB-PP Moore Haven, FL
Moore Haven Jr-Sr High School 6’2” 190 83

78 OT Cedar Rapids, IA
John F. Kennedy High School 6’8” 345 83

79 DT Birmingham, AL
A. H. Parker High School 6’2” 310 83

80 OLB Omaha, NE
Westside High School 6’3” 215 83

81 OT Toms River, NJ
Toms River North High School 6’6” 305 83

82 WR Bradenton, FL
IMG Academy 5’10” 175 83

83 RB Leesburg, GA
Lee County High School 6’1” 215 83

84 OT Denton, TX
Billy Ryan High School 6’5” 280 83

85 OLB Bradenton, FL
IMG Academy 6’2” 210 83

86 S Enterprise, AL
Enterprise High School 6’3” 205 83

87 OT Salem, VA
Salem High School 6’4” 300 83

88 DE Weatherford, OK
Weatherford High School 6’5” 225 83

89 WR Pleasanton, CA
Foothill High School 6’1” 180 83

90 OC Las Vegas, NV
Bishop Gorman High School 6’3” 300 83

91 DT Snow Hill, NC
Greene Central High School 6’4” 265 83

92 DE Cocoa, FL
Cocoa High School 6’5” 235 83

93 WR Mission Hills, CA
Bishop Alemany High School 6’2” 190 83

94 OLB Sugar Land, TX
Fort Bend Christian Academy 6’3” 210 83

95 WR Homestead, FL
Homestead Senior High School 6’1” 180 83

96 TE-H Mukilteo, WA
Kamiak High School 6’4” 225 83

97 CB Lexington, MS
Holmes County Central High School 6’1” 180 83

98 DT Hattiesburg, MS
Oak Grove High School 6’4” 280 83

99 ATH Shaker Heights, OH
Shaker Heights High School 6’0” 180 83

100 QB-DT San Diego, CA
Abraham Lincoln High School 6’5” 200 82

101 DE Greensboro, NC
Grimsley High School 6’4” 245 82

102 DT Hattiesburg, MS
Hattiesburg High School 6’2” 285 82

103 WR West Palm Beach, FL
Cardinal Newman High School 6’1” 175 82

104 S Little Rock, AR
Parkview Arts & Science Magnet High 6’0” 180 82

105 ATH Cleveland Heights, OH
Cleveland Heights High School 6’1” 200 82

106 DT Nashville, TN
The Ensworth School 6’5” 280 82

107 TE-H Washington, OK
Washington High School 6’4” 225 82

108 ATH San Antonio, TX
Alamo Heights High School 6’3” 215 82

109 WR Ennis, TX
Ennis High School 5’10” 170 82

110 OLB Dallas, TX
Skyline High School 6’2” 220 82

111 DE Texarkana, TX
Pleasant Grove High School 6’5” 250 82

112 ATH Saint Louis, MO
Vashon High School 5’11” 190 82

113 OLB Jersey City, NJ
Snyder High School 6’1” 215 82

114 OG Fort Valley, GA
Peach County High School 6’4” 285 82

115 QB-DT Lucedale, MS
George County High School 6’4” 190 82

116 TE-H Alpharetta, GA
Alpharetta High School 6’3” 225 82

117 WR Lee’s Summit, MO
Lee’s Summit North High School 6’2” 190 82

118 OLB Philadelphia, PA
St. Joseph’s Prep School 6’4” 215 82

119 QB-PP Corona, CA
Centennial High School 6’1” 190 82

120 CB Kahuku, HI
Kahuku High School 6’0” 165 82

121 WR Allen, TX
Lovejoy High School 6’0” 175 82

122 OLB Lake Cormorant, MS
Lake Cormorant High School 6’2” 210 82

123 CB Brownsboro, TX
Brownsboro High School 6’1” 180 82

124 S Jacksonville, FL
Mandarin High School 6’2” 185 82

125 RB Cleveland, OH
Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School 6’1” 215 82

126 DT Washington, DC
Friendship Collegiate Academy 6’4” 310 82

127 CB Hollywood, FL
Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School 6’0” 170 82

128 OT Waukesha, WI
Catholic Memorial High School 6’6” 280 82

129 RB Philadelphia, PA
Imhotep Institute Charter High School 6’1” 210 82

130 DE HIghland Home, AL
Highland Home High School 6’4” 235 82

131 QB-PP Frisco, TX
Rock Hill High School 6’1” 200 82

132 RB Plantation, FL
American Heritage High School 5’11” 205 82

133 DT Lufkin, TX
Lufkin High School 6’3” 295 82

134 WR Oklahoma City, OK
Millwood High School 6’4” 190 82

135 CB Santa Ana, CA
Mater Dei High School 6’0” 185 82

136 S Jackson, TN
Jackson Christian School 6’1” 190 82

137 DT Port Charlotte, FL
Port Charlotte High School 6’5” 285 82

138 QB-PP Findlay, OH
Findlay High School 6’3” 210 82

139 OLB Owings, MD
McDonogh School 6’2” 215 82

140 CB Chester, VA
Thomas Dale High School 6’2” 180 82

141 DT Greenville, MS
Saint Joseph Catholic School 6’3” 265 82

142 RB Seminole, FL
Osceola High School 5’9” 185 82

143 CB Quartz Hill, CA
Quartz Hill High School 6’2” 170 81

144 ILB Dallas, TX
South Oak Cliff High 6’0” 210 81

145 RB Humble, TX
Atascocita High School 5’11” 180 81

146 CB Pearland, TX
Shadow Creek High School 6’0” 170 81

147 WR Pahokee, FL
Pahokee High School 6’1” 175 81

148 OLB El Centro, CA
Central High School 6’2” 210 81

149 CB Los Alamitos, CA
Los Alamitos High School 6’2” 165 81

150 OLB Cincinnati, OH
Winton Woods High School 6’4” 215 81

151 CB Miami, FL
Booker T. Washington High School 6’1” 170 81

152 OG Rabun Gap, GA
Rabun Gap Nacoochee School 6’5” 275 81

153 WR Red Oak, TX
Red Oak High School 6’0” 175 81

154 TE-Y West Chester, OH
Lakota West High School 6’6” 235 81

155 OLB Danville, CA
San Ramon Valley High School 6’4” 220 81

156 OT Toledo, OH
Whitmer High School 6’5” 290 81

157 S Las Vegas, NV
Faith Lutheran High School 6’3” 190 81

158 DT Philadelphia, PA
St. Joseph’s Prep School 6’4” 275 81

159 OG Fairburn, GA
Langston Hughes High School 6’3” 295 81

160 WR Sachse, TX
Sachse High School 6’2” 185 81

161 OLB Spanaway, WA
Bethel High School 6’3” 225 81

162 OT Buford, GA
Buford High School 6’8” 315 81

163 ATH Tampa, FL
Berkeley Prep 6’1” 175 81

164 DT Baltimore, MD
St. Frances Academy 6’4” 285 81

165 WR Geneva, IL
Geneva High School 6’1” 170 81

166 RB Gaithersburg, MD
Quince Orchard High School 5’11” 185 81

167 WR Toms River, NJ
Monsignor Donovan High School 6’0” 185 81

168 DT Cypress, TX
Cy-Fair High School 6’2” 265 81

169 QB-PP Lexington, KY
Lexington Christian Academy 6’5” 210 81

170 WR DeSoto, TX
DeSoto High School 5’11” 170 81

171 RB Tampa Bay, FL
Plant Senior High School 6’2” 195 81

172 OT Houston, TX
Lamar High School 6’6” 305 81

173 CB Miami, FL
Booker T. Washington High School 6’2” 180 81

174 TE-Y Pittsburgh, PA
North Catholic High School 6’6” 235 81

175 OT Boerne, TX
Boerne High School 6’6” 320 81

176 CB Montvale, NJ
Saint Joseph Regional High School 6’1” 185 81

177 WR Pearland, TX
Shadow Creek High School 5’11” 180 81

178 RB Tyler, TX
Chapel Hill High School 5’10” 185 81

179 TE-Y Green Bay, WI
Notre Dame De La Baie Academy 6’5” 225 81

180 OG San Jose, CA
Valley Christian High School 6’4” 325 81

181 WR Scottsdale, AZ
Notre Dame Prepatory 6’2” 190 81

182 DT Bellville, TX
Bellville High School 6’3” 285 81

183 CB Washington, DC
St. John’s College High School 6’0” 175 81

184 WR Pflugerville, TX
Weiss High School 6’1” 170 81

185 QB-PP Orange, CA
Orange Lutheran High School 6’2” 190 81

186 OLB Opelousas, LA
Opelousas High School 6’3” 210 81

187 TE-H Jasper, TX
Jasper High School 6’5” 245 81

188 OT Overland Park, KS
Blue Valley Northwest High School 6’6” 270 80

189 RB Plantation, FL
American Heritage High School 5’10” 185 80

190 TE-H El Dorado Hills, CA
Oak Ridge High School 6’6” 220 80

191 S Miami, FL
Miami Central High School 5’11” 175 80

192 QB-PP Fort Myers, FL
Bishop Verot High School 6’4” 185 80

193 RB Houma, LA
Vandebilt Catholic School 5’8” 165 80

194 OLB Baton Rouge, LA
University Laboratory School 6’2” 220 80

195 DT Oak Park, IL
Fenwick High School 6’4” 265 80

196 DE Hyattsville, MD
DeMatha Catholic High School 6’3” 230 80

197 S Chattanooga, TN
Brainerd High School 6’1” 190 80

198 RB Fort Worth, TX
North Crowley High School 5’10” 175 80

199 DE Port Arthur, TX
Memorial High School 6’3” 240 80

200 ILB Las Vegas, NV
Arbor View High School 6’2” 200 80

201 RB Covington, GA
Newton High School 5’9” 180 80

202 DE Warner Robins, GA
Warner Robins High School 6’5” 250 80

203 QB-PP Harrisburg, PA
Bishop McDevitt High School 6’1” 195 80

204 OT Beverly Hills, MI
Groves High School 6’5” 280 80

205 RB DeSoto, TX
DeSoto High School 5’11” 200 80

206 WR West Bloomfield, MI
West Bloomfield High School 5’11” 175 80

207 OG Bradenton, FL
IMG Academy 6’3” 285 80

208 S Norfolk, VA
Maury High School 6’3” 190 80

209 OLB Pittsburgh, PA
Imani Christian Academy 6’2” 210 80

210 QB-DT Murrieta, CA
Murrieta Valley High School 6’2” 215 80

211 TE-H Calhoun, GA
Calhoun High School 6’2” 230 80

212 RB Shreveport, LA
Calvary Baptist Academy 6’0” 200 80

213 QB-PP Chatsworth, CA
Sierra Canyon High School 6’2” 180 80

214 ILB Culpeper, VA
Eastern View High School 6’2” 220 80

215 CB Murfreesboro, TN
Siegel High School 6’3” 180 80

216 WR Hollywood, FL
Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School 6’2” 185 80

217 QB-DT Little Rock, AR
Robinson High School 6’2” 190 80

218 DT Saraland, AL
Saraland High School 6’2” 270 80

219 OG Nashville, TN
David Lipscomb High School 6’4” 320 80

220 ILB Seminole, FL
Osceola High School 6’2” 225 80

221 CB Baltimore, MD
St. Frances Academy 5’11” 185 80

222 QB-PP Miami, FL
Miami Central High School 6’5” 195 80

223 WR Gautier, MS
Gautier High School 5’11” 180 80

224 CB Indianapolis, IN
Ben Davis High School 6’0” 170 80

225 WR Wayne, NJ
DePaul Catholic High School 6’0” 185 80

226 OG Dyersburg, TN
Dyersburg High School 6’4” 320 80

227 ILB Bradenton, FL
IMG Academy 6’1” 220 80

228 WR Lafayette, LA
Acadiana High School 5’8” 170 80

229 TE-Y Derby, KS
Derby Senior High School 6’5” 225 80

230 S Miami, FL
Belen Jesuit Prep 6’1” 180 80

231 OLB Princeton, NJ
The Hun School Of Princeton 6’1” 215 80

232 DE Shawnee, KS
Mill Valley High School 6’3” 220 80

233 ATH Saint Louis, MO
Cardinal Ritter College Prep 6’0” 185 80

234 QB-PP Severn, MD
Archbishop Spalding High School 6’5” 205 80

235 DE Red Oak, TX
Red Oak High School 6’4” 235 80

236 CB Midwest City, OK
Carl Albert High School 6’2” 170 80

237 OLB Baltimore, MD
St. Frances Academy 6’1” 215 80

238 ILB Auburn, WA
Auburn-Riverside High School 6’0” 195 80

239 WR San Antonio, TX
Brandeis High School 6’1” 175 80

240 DE Wyncote, PA
Cheltenham High School 6’4” 230 80

241 RB The Woodlands, TX
The Woodlands High School 6’0” 185 80

242 OLB Jefferson, GA
Jefferson High School 6’3” 210 80

243 WR The Woodlands, TX
The Woodlands High School 6’0” 175 80

244 DT Overland Park, KS
Saint Thomas Aquinas High School 6’6” 270 80

245 S Wellington, FL
Palm Beach Central High School 6’1” 190 80

246 OT Scottsdale, AZ
Saguaro High School 6’5” 255 79

247 WR Houston, TX
Andy Dekaney High School 6’0” 175 79

248 S Nashville, TN
David Lipscomb High School 6’3” 195 79

249 DT Palatine, IL
Palatine High School 6’6” 280 79

250 DE Chicago, IL
Simeon Career Academy 6’5” 250 79

251 S Spring, TX
Legacy The School of Sport Sciences 6’0” 180 79

252 WR Checotah, OK
Checotah High School 6’1” 185 79

253 DE Concord, CA
De La Salle High School 6’6” 250 79

254 RB North Richland Hills, TX
Richland High School 6’0” 200 79

255 TE-H Orange, CA
Orange Lutheran High School 6’6” 215 79

256 WR Columbia, MS
Columbia High School 6’1” 200 79

257 DE Pittsburg, CA
Pittsburg High School 6’3” 225 79

258 RB Tampa, FL
Jesuit High School 6’0” 190 79

259 CB Rabun Gap, GA
Rabun Gap Nacoochee School 6’2” 175 79

260 TE-H Clear Lake, IA
Clear Lake High School 6’5” 210 79

261 WR Pembroke Pines, FL
West Broward High School 6’3” 210 79

262 DT Melbourne, FL
Eau Gallie High School 6’2” 275 79

263 CB Chatsworth, CA
Sierra Canyon High School 5’11” 165 79

264 ATH Winston-Salem, NC
Mount Tabor High School 6’2” 175 79

265 RB Montvale, NJ
Saint Joseph Regional High School 6’0” 190 79

266 QB-DT Kernersville, NC
East Forsyth High School 6’3” 185 79

267 WR Pembroke Pines, FL
Somerset Academy 6’2” 190 79

268 ATH Hesperia, CA
Sultana High School 6’1” 180 79

269 DE Galveston, TX
Ball High School 6’4” 245 79

270 OT Riverview, FL
Jule F. Sumner High School 6’4” 260 79

271 TE-Y Milton, GA
Milton High School 6’5” 220 79

272 OLB Sanford, FL
Seminole High School 6’2” 195 79

273 DE HIghland Home, AL
Highland Home High School 6’4” 230 79

274 DT Chesterfield, VA
Matoaca High School 6’6” 260 79

275 ATH Lubbock, TX
Estacado High School 6’4” 210 79

276 DE Detroit, MI
Martin Luther King High School 6’5” 220 79

277 CB Atco, NJ
Winslow Township High School 5’11” 165 79

278 QB-PP San Juan Capistrano, CA
JSerra Catholic High School 6’1” 185 79

279 ATH Omaha, NE
Millard North High School 6’0” 190 79

280 WR Richmond, VA
Trinity Episcopal School 6’2” 180 79

281 OG Sanford, FL
Seminole High School 6’5” 285 79

282 RB Wynnewood, OK
Wynnewood High School 5’11” 190 79

283 ILB Miami, FL
Miami Central High School 6’1” 210 79

284 DE Indianapolis, IN
Warren Central High School 6’5” 235 79

285 QB-PP Downey, CA
Warren High School 6’3” 185 79

286 S East Saint Louis, IL
East St. Louis High School 6’2” 190 78

287 OT New Orleans, LA
Isidore Newman School 6’4” 275 78

288 RB Southlake, TX
Carroll High School 5’10” 180 78

289 QB-DT Bradenton, FL
IMG Academy 6’3” 205 78

290 DT Cahokia, IL
Cahokia High School 6’2” 290 78

291 RB Greer, SC
Greer Senior High School 5’10” 180 78

292 OT Slinger, WI
Slinger High School 6’5” 305 78

293 DT Buford, GA
Buford High School 6’2” 280 78

294 ATH College Park, GA
Woodward Academy 5’11” 180 78

295 OLB San Juan Capistrano, CA
San Juan Hills High School 6’2” 225 78

296 WR Miami, FL
Dade Christian High School 6’1” 170 78

297 DE Los Angeles, CA
King Drew Medical Magnet High School 6’2” 220 78

298 RB Aliquippa, PA
Aliquippa High School 5’10” 190 78

299 ATH Germantown, TN
Germantown High School 5’10” 190 78

300 OLB Belleville, MI
Belleville High School 6’0” 205 78

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Texas coach Steve Sarkisian: Arch Manning has ‘grandpa’s gene’

Published

39 mins ago

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April 18, 2025

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Texas coach Steve Sarkisian: Arch Manning has 'grandpa's gene'

AUSTIN, Texas — Steve Sarkisian enters his fifth season as head coach at Texas with the program facing big expectations after reaching the semifinals of the College Football Playoff in consecutive years.

The Arch Manning era has officially arrived in Austin, as he’ll be the Longhorns’ full-time starting quarterback this fall. Manning is humble enough that he has won over the locker room and self-assured enough that he’ll occasionally wink at Sarkisian after a good play in practice.

“Almost like, ‘Did you like that?'” Sarkisian chuckled about the winks.

With Texas headed into its second season in the SEC, there is a stout roster, strong returning cores on both sides of the ball and the reality of playoff expectations hovering again. There’s also a defense that’s experienced and explosive enough that Sarkisian says, “I don’t think Arch is ever going to have to go into a game thinking we have to outscore ’em.”

We’ll know right away with the Longhorns traveling to Ohio State for the marquee game of Week 1. Here is Sark on Manning, the state of the program and why Texas has established itself as a top 10 program again.

Question: Arch Manning’s moment is finally here. He’s waited patiently for it. He’s the focal point of both the offense and the locker room now. How’s he embraced the new reality?

Sarkisian: I think there’s something that’s unique about Arch. You can watch him throw and you see when you get up on him in person, man, he’s a bigger guy than maybe people think. When you watch him throw, the arm talent and the deep ball is there. Then you watch him move and you’re like, wait, this guy’s a better athlete than I thought. Definitely got grandpa’s gene. It’s not the uncles, he got grandpa’s gene. There’s an infectious leadership that he has, that I don’t want to say is unintentional because he intentionally leads. You can feel that. But the unintentional leadership ability he has, players gravitate to him, they want to be around him.

They like him for who he is, not for the name on the back of his jersey. And I think that’s something that he provides. He’s a fiery guy. He enjoys playing the game. Even in practice he’ll make a throw, and he’ll look over at me and wink at me almost like, ‘Did you like that?’ And so we have really good rapport, but I understand now because of my rapport with him, why the players have really good rapport with him. He just has a natural ability to engage with people.

Q: What’s that rapport like?

Sarkisian: Sometimes it’s verbal, sometimes it’s nonverbal. But I think that’s part of the responsibility as a quarterback that when you look at a quarterback and why is it this position in sports that is so coveted? It’s because your job is really to instill belief in the locker room, your job is to instill belief in an organization or a team or in a staff, and then ultimately your job is to instill belief in a fan base. And I think that he does that very naturally. It’s not something that is manufactured or fabricated. It’s very natural for him to go along with all those other things, the skill set, the ability to do those things. And so, I’m excited for him. I just want to make sure that we’re really strong around him, that he doesn’t feel the weight of the world to have to go perform. I want us to play really well around him to enhance what he’s able to do.

Q: Will there be some grace for growth? Some people already are pegging him the first-team All-SEC quarterback. He’s spent his whole life as a Manning, so he’s prepared, I guess, but do you think he’s prepared for the first interception in Columbus? Or the moment when on-field adversity hits? Do you think he’s ready for the level of both praise and criticism that will come?

Sarkisian: I think one, the exposure he got last season was helpful. He got two career starts. He started as our quarterback in the first SEC game in the history of the school. And those were not all perfect. Granted, there were some great moments. He threw nine touchdowns and almost a thousand yards. There was a couple of bad picks in there, too. And in the end, I think he understands he is not riding the emotional roller coaster of the opinions of others and staying [with a] level of consistency in his approach, in his play, in his ability to pick people up. Easier said than done when you’re not in the real fire of it all. But we are fortunate that he got exposed to some of that, and he threw a couple bad picks, and it was OK.

Q: He missed a few blitz pickups, right?

Sarkisian: Yeah, and he gets hit in the back and things like that. Like he’s learning. And yeah, there’s probably going to be some grace needed. Unfortunately, it’s probably not going to be grace granted outside of our building. Inside of our building, sure, there will be, but outside of the building, the pundits are going to be the pundits, the fans are going to be the fans, the opposing fans are going to be the fans. But inside our building, I think the support that he’s going to get is going to be one that he’ll definitely appreciate.

Q: One impactful change this spring has been Duane Akina being back on the field. He was here from 2001 to 2013 and coached an elite assembly line of defensive backs. What’s it been like having him back?

Sarkisian: Having Coach Akina back has been awesome. It’s been great in the building and the timing felt right. When we lost Blake Gideon [to Georgia Tech], we still had Terry Joseph on staff [and a] connection between he and Pete Kwiatkowski was a perfect fit. I had heard about [Akina] as a coach on the field, but I had never really seen it. And he’s a very kind of even-keel guy in and around the building. But when you watch him coach, the energy that he provides at practice is infectious. It’s what you always wanted in all of your coaches. And so the fact that here’s this guy, the oldest coach in our staff and he’s running to the ball, he’s demanding excellence out of every player, I think has just been infectious. Not only amongst the staff, but I think the respect that the players have, knowing the history and track record that he’s had of great players … here when it was DBU to what he was able to do at Stanford. He’s been an awesome addition.

Q: Identity-wise on defense, will this team be built around the defensive backs?

Sarkisian: I would argue it might be the best position group we have on our team right now from sheer talent. Now we have some experience there with Michael Taaffe coming back, Derek Williams getting healthy, Jelani McDonald‘s experience, Jaylon Guilbeau‘s experience, Malik Muhammad‘s experience. But below those guys, I think our ability to recruit that position the last two years is really evident. The guys look the part, they all are impactful players on special teams and so [Akina has] inherited a really good room of talented players, competitive players that are going to help us down the road.

Q: Texas went through a nearly two-decade drought for first-round offensive linemen. Now there’s a flurry of them coming out and seemingly emerging. How do you feel about the offensive line and skill around Arch?

Sarkisian: We feel good, obviously, on the offensive line. There’s a couple new faces, but again, we got exposure to a couple of those new faces early on. And so the experience of [senior guard] DJ Campbell and [senior interior lineman] Cole Hutson are big. The experience that [sophomore left tackle] Trevor Goosby got, Trevor was blocking real guys in the last month of the season, which was good for him. The emergence of some new faces is going to be good. These guys were all high-level recruits, and now it’s time, and that’s OK.

Q: There has to be some optimism at tailback, right?

Sarkisian: I think that the backfield will be better, in some degree. We got two guys coming off of injuries in CJ Baxter and Christian Clark, and we really think highly of both of them. We have a 1,000-yard rusher coming back, Tre Wisner, and we have a true freshman kid who’s going to be a sophomore in Jerrick Gibson, who played some really significant meaningful snaps in some big games. And so I feel really good about the running back room.

Q: They’ll be some familiar faces at receiver, too, right?

Sarkisian: I think having DeAndre Moore and Ryan Wingo back is going to be big. And then we got some guys that, it’s time to step up and it’s their moment. I would say the one room that we probably have our biggest question mark in is in the tight end room. So the offense is there.

Q: What’s the vibe on the defensive side?

Sarkisian: I think more importantly is who we are on defense and the growth of who we have been as a defensive team from Year 1 through Year 4. Going into Year 5, we have real playmakers on the defensive side of the ball, whether it’s Anthony Hill, Colin Simmons, Trey Moore, and we touched on Michael Taaffe, we touched on Derek Williams and Liona Lefau and Ethan Burke. We have some real players on the defensive side of the ball, to where I don’t think Arch is ever going to have to go into a game thinking we have to outscore ’em. We need to play good football, and as a team we can win a lot of games. It’s not going to feel like the weight of the world where if we don’t score 40, we’re in trouble. We’re going to be in plenty of high-level games where 24, 28 points is going to be good enough to win. Now do we want to score 35, 42, 49? Of course. But I don’t think we’re always going to have to. It’s managing some of those games the right way to make sure that our defense can play to their ability.

Q: Let me wrap with a macro question. How do you feel going into Year 5? At age 51, you’ve said you were ready for this job as a head coach, having endured some adversity in your career. Can you reflect on the collision of the consistency you’ve had the last few seasons with your preparedness and maybe where you see it’s going at this moment?

Sarkisian: You never know why you’re really here. Why are you hired? There’s been great coaches before. All guys who have been really successful at other places. Why weren’t they as successful here? And then: Why are you here now? And I jokingly say, this administration thinks they hired you for a reason, and what the issues were, but in reality, a lot of times they don’t know because they’re not looking behind the curtain. They don’t know. And as we’ve gone through this journey going into Year 5, we’ve really tried to look forward and be forward thinking rather than look backwards and say what’s wrong? What was wrong? What’s going to be right?

And along the way, there’s been all these changes in college football that have happened, right? Literally, we got hired in the middle of COVID. So we were dealing with COVID. We were dealing with the new facility getting built. We didn’t have a team room, we didn’t have a locker room, I didn’t have an office. Then here comes, they say the transfer portal, but nobody really knew what that was and so we didn’t really know how to tap into it. Then here comes conference realignment, and we’re in the midst of moving from the Big 12 to the SEC. Then here comes College Football Playoff expansion, and we’re going from four teams to 12. Then here comes NIL, and what does NIL look like? And here comes collectives and how do you manage collectives and what that looks like. And now here comes revenue share. And now here comes a potential different expansion to the College Football Playoff.

We’re forever evolving. And so the one thing that we’ve tried to do, like I said, is be forward thinking. And not playing catch up, but in essence, think about where are we headed and how do we continually adapt and do what’s best for our players and do what’s best for our team and try to minimize the noise outside the building and focus on what we’re doing here with the players we recruit, with the staff that we hire, with the expansion of the recruiting department and the scouting department with the evolution of understanding how do you manage NIL money to now? How do you manage a cap space and what does that look like, and be ahead of it all, which I think that’s something we’ve done a pretty good job of. We were one of the very first, when NIL got presented, we were one of the very first of utilizing that. … And then how do we still recruit the high schools and believe in high school recruiting to build our culture and to start that process.

Q: That makes sense here, right?

Sarkisian: And I look back at my time with Pete Carroll [at USC] and how important that was in that seven-, eight-year run of the development of players and the old players teaching the younger players. And then I looked at what Nick [Saban] did and how that [Alabama] roster turned itself over, but yet how did he hire really good coaches year after year? Because the cycle of success is you’re going to lose people.

And so we try to tap into history to look to the future. And so far, so good. And we haven’t been perfect, and I don’t pretend us to be perfect, but I do think we’ve done things, a lot of things really well that have allowed us to stay at the forefront of college football. And again, when I got here, I didn’t want to be a one-hit wonder. I didn’t want to live in the portal — one year we’re good and the next year we’re not. We wanted to build something that could sustain and that in my opinion is high school recruiting. We surely have tapped into the free agent market through the transfer portal to fill needs. And I think we’ve had a really good balance there. And ultimately, sure, I want to win a national championship. There’s no question about it. But the fact that we went from 5-7 to 8-5 to … in the semifinals two years in a row, I think lends itself to the consistency of our program and the foundation of our program. Now granted, we want to get into that [title] game, and we want to win that game, but I think we’ve built something here that’s going to be long lasting, that’s going to be sustainable.

And I’ve been telling everybody, my goal is to retire here and I’m 51 today, and I hope I can coach a long, long time. But the only way to do that is to have continued success because here the standard is a standard. You either compete and win championships or you don’t. There’s not a lot of gray area. And so to do that, you got to have the right amount of energy, you got to have the right people around you and allow them to do their jobs. You got to recruit the right people so that you don’t take those massive drops. You might have a blip on the radar, but yet we sustain it in a way that we’re proud of. And I think we’re doing that. But like I said, there’s always more work to do.

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O’s Rodriguez nixes bullpen session, set for MRI

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April 18, 2025

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O's Rodriguez nixes bullpen session, set for MRI

  • Associated Press

Apr 17, 2025, 09:38 PM ET

BALTIMORE — Orioles right-hander Grayson Rodriguez will have an MRI of his sore throwing shoulder after a bullpen session Thursday was canceled.

Rodriguez has not pitched in a regular-season game since July 31 and has been rehabbing from a right elbow inflammation issue, though he made spring training appearances on Feb. 27 and March 5.

“He woke up a few days ago with a little bit of soreness in the shoulder area,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “I’m not really sure at this point. We’re hoping for the best. But we felt like it was necessary to get imaging done.”

A 25-year-old right-hander who was the No. 11 pick in the 2018 amateur draft, Rodriguez is 20-8 with a 4.11 ERA in 43 starts over two big league seasons.

Coming off consecutive postseason appearances, Baltimore has had numerous injuries to starting pitchers: Kyle Braddish (Tommy John surgery) and Tyler Wells (UCL repair surgery) also started the season on the injured list. Albert Suárez (right shoulder) has not pitched for the Orioles since March 28 and Zach Eflin (right lat) since April 7.

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Stricken by bite, Texas’ Corbin nearly missed start

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April 18, 2025

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Stricken by bite, Texas' Corbin nearly missed start

Apr 17, 2025, 08:54 PM ET

Texas Rangers left-hander Patrick Corbin earned his first win of the season Wednesday night, but it was a start he nearly wasn’t able to make.

Corbin and the Rangers believe the culprit was “venom” from an apparent bite on his foot two days before his start that made it difficult to walk.

“They said something bit me, but I still don’t know what it was,” Corbin told reporters Thursday. “I’ve never had anything like that. It was super weird.”

Hours before Corbin allowed one run in 5⅓ innings in a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said it was “50/50” whether he would pitch because of the condition of his ankle.

Corbin said swelling had developed around a visible bite mark on his foot by Wednesday morning, but that it was “tolerable” after he had his ankle wrapped.

“It was really bad in the morning,” Corbin said. “Just a really swollen foot. … I wasn’t sure if I was going to throw that morning. My wife was really concerned. I came in early [Wednesday] to get some treatment going and [went] from there.”

Corbin said he still felt soreness in the ankle Thursday but was confident he wouldn’t need to miss time.

“I was fortunate to get through yesterday,” Corbin said. “I have some time to recover and be good to go.”

Corbin, a two-time All-Star entering his 13th season, joined the Rangers on a one-year deal in March. He is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA in two starts.

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