Arch talks Manning fam, QB role at media day
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Andrea Adelson, ESPN Senior Writer
NEW ORLEANS — There is a certain spotlight that comes with being a Manning quarterback. For Arch Manning, back home in New Orleans, the spotlight is even greater now that he enters the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl as the Texas backup.
That was obvious Saturday at Longhorns media day, his first availability since arriving at Texas in January as the most heralded recruit in the Steve Sarkisian era. Manning spoke for nearly 40 minutes about his new role as the No. 2 quarterback behind Quinn Ewers, his famous grandfather and uncles, being in the Superdome and what he has learned since he enrolled with the Longhorns.
The biggest difference between the game Monday night against Washington and every other game this season is that he is now officially one play away from getting into a game, after backup Maalik Murphy entered the transfer portal.
“I’ve tried to prepare like I’m the starter every week, but I guess now that you’re just one play away instead of two, there’s a little more to be prepared for,” Manning said. “A lot of it is mental just because you’re watching, you’ve got to get mental reps and just trying to prepare like you’re the starter because there’s a good chance you play. There’s also a good chance you don’t play, but at the end of the day, it’s just football, going out there, doing what I’ve done my whole life. So that’s what I’m trying to do.”
If Manning needed any reminder about how close he is to playing, he saw firsthand as he watched the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Friday night. Ohio State starter Devin Brown got hurt early, and freshman Lincoln Kienholz played the rest of the way. The Buckeyes ended up losing 14-3 to Missouri.
“That just kind of reminds me that I’m one snap away. But hopefully that doesn’t happen, hopefully Quinn has a good game and we move on to the national championship,” Manning said.
When asked why he felt he was prepared to play if something happens to Ewers, Manning said, “I think because I’ve been preparing all year to play. I think when my name is called, I’m going to go out there and be ready to roll.”
Manning said he attended the Sugar Bowl nearly every year as a child growing up in New Orleans. The team practiced at Tulane on Friday, a short drive from his home. He has had a chance to see his family since Texas arrived, and was asked multiple times about getting the chance to play in the Superdome for the first time — where his grandfather Archie is in the Saints’ ring of honor.
His high school teams at Isidore Newman never made it far enough to play for a state championship inside the stadium.
“It’s nice being back in town,” Manning said. “He’s my biggest role model, getting to practice and eventually play where he played is super special.”
His uncles Peyton and Eli Manning have sent him encouraging texts throughout the year as he has waited his turn to play. His father, Cooper Manning, played wide receiver at Ole Miss. Though waiting has been hard, Manning said he has not considered transferring despite social media speculation.
“Obviously, there’s always rumors, especially nowadays, but I haven’t looked into transferring at all,” Arch Manning said. “I’m just focused on developing and helping this team in any way I can. Hopefully, one day playing for the University of Texas like I’ve always wanted to.”
When asked what would happen if his father fielded big-money offers to get him to transfer once this season ends, Manning said, “I don’t think it’s about money right now. I want to develop from Sark. I was told that good things happening to good people who work hard and put their head down and that’s what I’m focused on right now.”
Sarkisian said Manning has been “tremendous” since he got to Texas, and he has seen “dramatic improvement.”
“I give him a lot of credit, because he operates on a daily basis like that’s not the name on the back of his jersey,” Sarkisian said. “He comes to work and works as hard or harder than anybody in our program. He’s extremely humble. He’s there for his teammates.
“I’ve seen dramatic improvement in him. That’s not the say he wasn’t really good when he got here, but he’s worked so hard to improve his game not only physically but mentally. He’s fun to coach because he’s coachable. He wants to do it right. You definitely see the Manning gene in him. The work ethic is undeniable. The football IQ is undeniable. We’re fortunate to have him.”
LAS VEGAS — Left-handers Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves and Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox won Major League Baseball’s Comeback Player of the Year awards on Thursday.
Cleveland right-hander Emmanuel Clase won his second AL Reliever of the Year award and St. Louis righty Ryan Helsley won the NL honor.
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani joined David Ortiz as the only players to win four straight Outstanding Designated Hitter awards. Ohtani and the New York Yankees‘ Aaron Judge won Hank Aaron Awards as the outstanding offensive performers in their leagues.
Major League Baseball made the announcements at its All-MLB Awards Show.
Sale, 35, was 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts in 177⅔ innings for the NL’s first pitching triple crown since the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw in 2011. He earned his eighth All-Star selection and first since 2018.
Sale helped Boston to the 2018 World Series title but made just 56 starts from 2020-23, going 17-18 with a 4.86 ERA, 400 strikeouts and 79 walks over 298⅓ innings. He was acquired by Boston from the White Sox in December 2016 and made nine trips to the injured list with the Red Sox, mostly with shoulder and elbow ailments. He had Tommy John surgery on March 30, 2020, and returned to a big league mound on Aug. 14, 2021.
Sale fractured a rib while pitching in batting practice in February 2022 during the management lockout. On July 17, in his second start back, he broke his left pinkie finger when he was hit by a line drive off the bat of the Yankees’ Aaron Hicks. Sale broke his right wrist while riding a bicycle en route to lunch on Aug. 6, ending his season.
Crochet, 25, was 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA over 32 starts for a White Sox team that set a post-1900 record of 121 losses, becoming a first-time All-Star. He struck out 209 and walked 33 in 146 innings.
He had Tommy John surgery on April 5, 2022, and returned to the major leagues on May 18, 2023. Crochet had a 3.55 ERA in 13 relief appearances in 2023, and then joined the rotation this year.
Sale and Crochet were chosen in voting by MLB.com beat writers.
Clase and Helsley were unanimous picks by a panel that included Hall of Famers Trevor Hoffman, Mariano Rivera, Dennis Eckersley and Rollie Fingers, along with John Franco and Billy Wagner. The AL award is named after Rivera and the NL honor after Hoffman.
A three-time All-Star, Clase was 4-2 with a 0.61 ERA, 66 strikeouts and 10 walks in 74⅓ innings, holding batters to a .154 average. The 26-year-old converted 47 of 50 save chances, including his last 47.
Voting was based on the regular season. Clase was 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in the playoffs, allowing three home runs, one more than his regular-season total.
Helsley, a two-time All-Star, was 7-4 with a 2.04 ERA and 49 saves in 53 chances. He struck out 79 and walked 23 in 66⅓ innings.
Ohtani became the first player with 50 or more homers and 50 or more stolen bases in a season. A two-way star limited to hitting following elbow surgery, Ohtani batted .310 and led the NL with 54 homers and 130 RBIs while stealing 59 bases.
Ortiz won the DH award five years in a row from 2003-07.
The DH award, named after Edgar Martinez, is picked in voting by team beat writers, broadcasters and public relations departments. MLB.com writers determined the finalists for the Aaron awards, and a fan vote was combined with picks from a panel of Hall of Famers and former winners to determine the selections.
Judge led the major leagues with 58 homers and 144 RBIs while hitting .322.
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Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Writer
Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who lost his starting job earlier this week, will not be returning to the team, he announced Thursday night.
Castellanos, who started 12 games last season and retained the top job under new coach Bill O’Brien, wrote on X that “unfortunately, all good things come to an end, even though it’s sooner than I would like.” He did not mention the transfer portal in his departing message and has not officially entered it. The junior from Waycross, Georgia, started his career at UCF and appeared in five games in 2022.
O’Brien said Tuesday that Grayson James, who replaced Castellanos in last week’s win against Syracuse, will start Saturday when Boston College visits No. 14 SMU. Castellanos “wasn’t real thrilled” with the decision, O’Brien said, adding that the quarterback decided to step away from the team for several days.
Castellanos had 2,248 passing yards and 1,113 rushing yards last season under coach Jeff Hafley, passing for 15 touchdowns and adding 13 on the ground. He had 18 touchdown passes and only five interceptions this season, but his accuracy dipped in recent weeks, and he completed only 2 of 7 passes against Syracuse before being replaced.
In his statement, Castellanos thanked both coaching staffs he played for at Boston College and wrote that he had “some of the best experiences of my life in the Eagles Nest and I will truly cherish these memories forever.”
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is “ready to play,” coach Billy Napier said Thursday on his weekly radio show.
Napier removed Lagway from the team’s injury report and penciled him in to start against No. 21 LSU in the Swamp on Saturday.
Lagway practiced every day this week while progressing from a strained left hamstring. The highly touted freshman was carted off the field against Georgia on Nov. 2. Tests revealed a “less significant” injury than initially feared, and now he’s back in time to face the Tigers.
The Gators (4-5, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) need him. They have to win two of their final three regular-season games to become bowl eligible.
LSU (6-3, 3-2) has struggled mightily against dual-threat QBs, including Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who ran for 185 yards and four touchdowns last week.
Lagway returns after walk-on and Yale transfer Aidan Warner started in his place against Texas. Warner threw two interceptions and was 12-of-25 passing for 132 yards in a 49-17 loss.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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