Sugar Bowl QB2 Arch Manning working on physique ahead of CFP, puts on 15 pounds of muscle: Reports

Since he joined the Longhorns, Texas fans have been patiently waiting for the debut of hyped-prospect Arch Manning. Now, with former QB2 Maalik Murphy entering the transfer portal, Manning has cemented his place as backup to Quinn Ewers.

While he has not featured as a starter for the Longhorns just yet, according to reports, the freshman is ready to take the field whenever an opportunity presents itself.

Anwar Richardson, reporter for Orangebloods.com, a website dedicated to Longhorns, tweeted out the following info on Arch Manning's workout plans ahead of the College Football Playoff.

The No.1 recruit from this year's recruiting class, Manning was third in line for the starting job at Texas at the start of the season, in a QB room headlined by Quinn Ewers. The latter led the Longhorns to the playoffs and a Big 12 championship, getting crowned as the championship game MVP.

This season, Manning saw the field in the Longhorns' 57-7 win over Texas Tech, where he threw for 30 yards, completing two passes. Manning also played the last snap at the end of the Big 12 championship game.

Can Arch Manning leave the Longhorns?

As the transfer portal opened, the rumor mill around Arch Manning transferring to another program was in full effect, with reports linking him to some of the top teams in college football.

However, Manning stayed put with Texas. With Maalik Murphy now in the transfer portal, Manning moves up a spot on the depth chart. 247Sports' Chris Hummer reported on the topic and had the following to say:

"Obviously, Arch Manning is the name that looms above it all — everybody's interested in Arch. Based on everything we've heard, Arch is perfectly happy at Texas. I think the expectation is he will be back in 2024."

Texas will be in action against No. 2-seeded Washington in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1.