Arch Manning has some wheels which seems to put him up against one of the fastest players in all of football.
Manning did everything for Texas on Saturday when he filled in for the injured Quinn Ewers, throwing for four touchdowns and rush for a 67-yard score in a blowout over UTSA.
The latter play really turned heads, as he showed off his legs, and he topped out at 20.7 mph.
According to Reel Analytics and Next Gen Stats, that speed was faster than Tyreek Hill’s 20.3 mph when he scored an 80-yard touchdown in Week 1 for the Dolphins.
“When the adrenaline kicks in, it helps you run a little bit faster,” Manning told reporters after the win.
To add some context, Manning’s scamper was more than 2 mph slower than the top rusher from last year’s season, which came in the form of a 22.7 mph run from Texas’ own Xavier Worthy.
Manning’s scramble may not have passed Hill’s Next Gen Stats NFL record of 23.24 mph he started as a Chiefs rookie in 2016 (or the 21-plus mph he reached several times last season), but Manning impressed in his relief role last week for the Longhorns with 223 yards passing.
It’s possible he could make his first start in a collegiate uniform now, as Ewers is still considered questionable with an oblique strain.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian was pleased with what he saw from Manning in his first real extended look.
“There were some learning curves there, a couple of things to learn from, but at the end of the day I thought he played at a high level,” Sarkisian said this week, according to The Athletic.
Texas will play Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday.