HOUSTON – Vince Young enjoyed a storied career at the University of Texas, leading the Longhorns to a national championship.
The Houston native and Madison graduate left an indelible mark in college football history with a final season capped by his epic scramble for the game-winning touchdown on fourth down in the final seconds of the Rose Bowl as he piled up 467 yards of total offense.
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Retired from football since 2017, the Houston native, former Tennessee Titans first-round draft pick and Madison graduate
Watching current Texas star quarterback Arch Manning grow throughout last season after a rough start while managing sky-high expectations, Young is extremely impressed with his improvement and potential.
“I think Arch is a really good kid, has a lot of energy, good leader, not only just a good athlete,” Young told KPRC 2 following an appearance at U.S. Coins and Jewelry through Tristar Productions. “I love what he does off the field with his teammates, what he does giving back to the community. I have had the opportunity to talk to him a lot.
“He’s trying to build chemistry, just trying to get his teammates on the same page. His motivation is to win it all. He has guys like myself, Colt McCo in his corner. I’m really excited for him, and I’m very proud of how he finished the season on a hot note when the whole world was against him.
The arrow is definitely pointing upward for Manning.
Manning displayed toughness as a new starter last season for the Longhorns, getting past hasty bust narratives and showing he’s a passer with major upside.
Although Manning completed 61.4 percent of his throws for 3,163 yards and 26 touchdowns with seven interceptions and rushed for 399 yards and 10 touchdowns in a more than respectable overall performance in leading the Longhorns to a 10-3 record, he still faced plenty of criticism.
Inside the Longhorns’ program, though, they have witnessed serious progress from Manning. The New Orleans native and nephew of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning and former Super Bowl Most Valuable Player quarterback Eli Manning and the grandson of Hall of Fame quarterback Archie Manning has been fine-tuning his game throughout the offseason.
“The biggest thing that I’ve seen from Arch, fundamentally, he’s so much cleaner right now,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said during a Touchdown Club of Houston luncheon emceed by KPRC 2 Sports Director Randy McIlvoy. “He has really worked hard and that’s going to really help him from an accuracy standpoint, especially in the short to intermediate game, where that completion percentage can go up.”
He played through a painful right foot injury, affecting his plant foot while throwing that happened against Texas A&M and put off surgery.
The offensive line struggled at times. He was pressured a Southeastern Conference high 165 times. He was sacked 26 times, and avoided several potential sacks with fast footwork. He also dealt with receivers dropping 8.1 percent of his throws and a historically unproductive running game.
“The thing I think he learned about himself, he had some real adversity last year, and this guy found out about himself,” Sarkisian said. “And I think he found out about how physically tough he is, and I think his teammates did, too, and they credit him for that. All of your players that go to the draft, they always ask, ‘Who’s the toughest player on the team?’
“Every one of them said Arch Manning. Think about that for a second. The quarterback’s the toughest guy on the team, but that’s not only physical toughness, that’s mental toughness. And so I think you gotta have that grit at the quarterback position. He was a work in progress his entire time here. He’ll be a continued work in progress as we grow, but I wouldn’t trade him for the world, man. We’re fortunate to have him on our team this year. I think he’s poised for a big-time season.”
Overall, the program appears to be on the upswing.
Young sees the vision in Austin.
“We’re going in the right direction,” Young said. “We’ve got the right players. Not only are they just really great athletes, they’ve got really great character. I really feel like they’re gonna have a good team. They gotta fix their penalties and fix their red zone. If they do these things, they will be on the next level and have an opportunity to finish the way they want to finish if they clean up.”
Young pays close attention to the local NFL team in his hometown: the Houston Texans.
He believes that Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, a former NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year who had an uncharacteristically rough performance in the playoffs, will bounce back this season. Stroud had five interceptions and five fumbles in two playoff games and missed three games with a concussion. In the playoff loss to the New England Patriots, an eventual Super Bowl runner-up, Stroud was under heavy duress and playing without injured wide receiver Nico Collins and tight end Dalton Schultz. He forced his throws and finished with a career-high four interceptions in an AFC divisional round loss.
“C.J. is one of those guys that he does everything right,” Young said. “I think overall what he went through is something that’s going to make him a tougher player. When the odds are up against you, when you go through that now, when you have that situation happen again, you know you need to do with the ball and take care of the ball.
“He was going against a good team, had a lot of injuries, he had a lot of stuff going on. He knows what to do when he has the opportunity to do it again this year. So, I’m proud of him and I have a lot of respect for him. You just got to work, don’t worry about what people say, just worry about what you guys say in that locker room.”
The Texans have made three consecutive playoff appearances under the tenure of coach DeMeco Ryans. They have won a playoff game each year before losing in the AFC divisional round.
“I’m a DeMeco fan,” Young said. “We came in together in the NFL, and I’m very happy for him. He’s put in the work. He was with Kyle Shanahan, my guy, my brother, in San Francisco. For him to get the job here in Houston, he has a good fan base here. He played here and he’s just and overall good coach, and he’s bringing in some really good players that can get Houston over that hump.”
Young is a loyal fan of the Titans, the team he played for as an NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowl addition.
He sees a bright future for quarterback Cam Ward, a former top overall pick.
“Cam is one of those guy who just has a tremendous confidence in himself,” Young said. “I’m just happy that they got some guys around him that can help him get some offensive alignment in there as well, because I really feel like he had the same situation that Caleb Williams had in Chicago when he was first drafted.
“If you give him some time in the pocket, Cam can throw. He’s going to deliver. I really feel like they did a good job of bringing in guys that can help. I’m hearing that they are doing some great things to work and get better as a team. I know it was a tough year for them last year, but we all go through that as rookies.”
Young stays busy with his podcast with former coach Mack Brown along with real estate development and emphasizing school safety as a cause.
Young said he thoroughly enjoyed his appearance at U.S. Coins and Jewelry, meeting fans.
“They did a really good job, really good store here,” Young said. “Really feel like it’s pretty cool what they’re doing with the coins and with the players and the fans.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com