GAINESVILLE — Texas coach Steve Sarkisian knows from personal experience the key ingredient to becoming a winning quarterback.
Time.
Sarkisian went from El Camino College to BYU, where he eventually led the nation in passing efficiency and touchdown passes in 1996 as a senior for a 13-1 team coached by passing guru LaVell Edwards.
These days, Sarkisian is an offensive whiz himself, bringing along his own young, promising quarterback. Only Arch Manning’s pursuit of success, similar to DJ Lagway’s at Florida, is under a microscope and considered behind schedule after he was showered with preseason expectations.
“My process was a little bit different,” Sarkisian said during Wednesday’s SEC teleconference. “I was joking the other day, the two biggest things that happened to me that year were USA Today wrote an article about me, and I was on the cover of TV Guide.
“Times have changed a little bit for what Arch is going through, comparatively, from a notoriety and an exposure standpoint.”
BYU quarterback Steve Sarkisian sets to throw during the Cougars’ 41-37 win against Texas A&M, highlighted by his 536 passing yards and six touchdowns. (Photo credits to Deseret News)
Lagway, too.
The 20-year-old Gators quarterback and Manning, 21, were considered Heisman hopefuls and eventual top picks in the NFL draft.
Instead, Lagway is amid a sophomore slump after an injury-riddled offseason while becoming the face of the reeling Gators (1-3, 0-1 SEC) as they prepare Saturday’s visit from No. 9 Texas (3-1, 0-0). Meanwhile, Manning struggled during the then-No. 1 Longhorns’ season-opening loss at reigning national champion Ohio State to prompt cries he was overrated after just his third career start.
“That’s just the world we live in right now,” Sarkisian said. “We got odds on these quarterbacks who haven’t started but three or four games and are the Heisman favorites before the season starts. We got odds on who’s going to be the first pick of the draft. The things gotten out of control, quite frankly.
“That’s the excitement around our game that these guys are having to learn through and navigate through.”
Coaching decades later in the SEC, Sarkisian said the path to success remains the same as when he rose through the ranks as a player in relative obscurity in the WAC.
“In the end, you just continue to the grind,” the 51-year-old said.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning runs up field during the second half against Clemson in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Dec. 21, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Manning has steadily improved against three outmanned opponents, culminating with a 309-yard, 3-touchdown outing on 18-of-21 passing as Texas trounced Sam Houston State Sept. 20.
Lagway, though, is coming off his two worst performances at UF: a five-interception night during a Sept. 13 loss at No. 3 LSU and a 61-yard passing effort during UF’s 26-7 loss a week later at No. 4 Miami.
Coming off a bye week Monday, Lagway said he and the Gators’ attack are headed in the right direction in time to face a Texas pass defense among the nation’s best.
“Eventually it is going to pop, and when it pops, it is going to be hard to stop,” he said.
Sarkisian, reflecting on his time at BYU, said it will take more than Lagway or Manning to produce the results everyone expects of them.
“I always felt like, when I was going through it, how important my teammates were,” he recalled. “I was going to be a better player the better they performed around me. I always tried to tap into those guys.”
Sarkisian aims to walk away from the Swamp 1-0 in SEC, but whatever happens he hopes the quarterbacks have a large role in deciding the winner.
“Our game is better when the good players are playing really good,” he said.
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
