Vince Young once led the Texas Longhorns to a college football national championship. Now, 21 years later, Longhorns starting quarterback Arch Manning is trying to do the same.
As a Texas football legend, Young made a point of connecting with Manning this offseason, hoping to share his experience and offer advice to the 22-year-old.
Vince Young Impressed by Arch Manning’s Questions
While it’s one thing for Young to reach out to Manning with advice, it’s another for the younger quarterback to approach a Longhorns icon like the former Manning Award winner for guidance.
Yet, according to Young, who spoke with DJ Siddiqi of R.org, that’s exactly what Manning did. Manning approached Young and fellow Texas legend Colt McCoy for advice on how to build chemistry with his teammates. Young appreciated Manning seeking out his advice, and the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback is clearly in his corner.
For one, Young thinks Manning is going to have a fantastic year.
“I think he’s going to have a really good year because of the way that I’m hearing from the coaching staff about how more mature he is; that’s just setting the tone for me,” Young said.
“When I came in, and I was more mature and comfortable with what’s going on, I played better, and I didn’t have to worry about looking over my shoulders. To hear that he’s very confident and he’s taking the leadership role and wanting to be the leader of the team, that says a whole lot about him and his teammates and how they gravitate around him.”
Another thing Young says he respects about Manning is that he wasn’t afraid to reach out to him and McCoy when he needed help.
PREDICT THE CFB SEASON: PFN’s Free CFB Playoff Predictor
“That’s one of the things I like about him,” Young commented. “He came up and asked us questions. How do I build the chemistry? What do I do in the offseason? Go play, throw to your team, go bowling. Y’all got money now. Go do something together.
“That’s because it’s hard for you to build a team last year, and then a lot of those guys are gone. Now you’ve got to build chemistry with some more guys. That’s tough. You have to do that in the offseason.
START PREPARING: PFN’s Free College Fantasy Simulator
“Get together, hang out together, be around each other, train together, work together, because without the chemistry, you can’t go out there if you don’t know who the guy is.”
Young claimed that Manning took his advice to heart and made a point to build chemistry with his teammates. Add it all up, and Young believes Manning “wants to get better and he wants to win.”
The goal is for all that patience and hard work to pay off. It worked for Young years ago, and now he’s hoping to pass what he’s learned on to the next generation, including Manning.
