After Arch Manning's second spring football season, the reviews are positive.

The expectation is that Texas' backup quarterback and starter Quinn Ewers will continue to work on their craft while they are away from the coaching staff. These next few weeks of the offseason are important to the redshirt freshman's development because they're basically little tests of dedication that he'll undoubtedly pass because of his hunger to get better.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said after the Longhorns' spring game April 20 that Manning, who had thrown for 355 yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-25 passing, was not happy at times because of what he perceived to be a quick whistle when he was leaving the pocket to avoid the pass rush.

Just like his grandfather Archie, Manning has good wheels — remember Sarkisian told us last year that the freshman was clocked at 20 mph on a run during a scrimmage. Still, deciding when to run and when to stand tall in the pocket is part of a quarterback's growth.

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Those quick whistles were a lesson in pocket presence for a young quarterback with nice scrambling ability. The message was to keep your patience in the pocket and trust your protection.

I had to ask Sarkisian on this week’s "On Second Thought" podcast if he had to fight similar urges to scramble prematurely when he played quarterback at BYU back in the day.

“It was easy for me because I couldn’t run,” Sarkisian said with a chuckle. “I was like, ‘Hurry up and get open. I need to get the ball out as quickly as possible.’ ”

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Jokes aside, Sarkisian said Manning’s improvement has been huge from Year 1 to Year 2 in the pocket presence department.

“I just feel like that ability to trust the timing of your drop and where the ball is supposed to go, keeping your eyes up in the pocket, making those subtle movements in the pocket,” Sarkisian remarked. “A lot of times when a quarterback moves, he doesn't need to move very far. He just needs to move swiftly enough, keeping his vision downfield and then stand firm to deliver the ball as accurately as possible.”

Ewers and Manning are likely to hook up over these next few weeks with their wideouts for some throwing sessions to continue developing chemistry now that program veterans Xavier Worthy and Jordan Whittington and 2023 star transfer Adonai Mitchell will be cashing NFL paychecks.

The sound of his coaches' whistles won’t be there, but the lessons of an important spring in Manning's development will stay with him until he and his teammates reconvene next month. It’s a talented quarterbacks room with him, Ewers and freshman Trey Owens, one that is only going to get better.

Horns are playing for a national title (this summer)

Great expectations: The national championship game won’t be played until January, but the Texas Longhorns are playing for one right now.

Or so it seems.

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Sarkisian sounds like a coach completely comfortable with the expectations that come with finishing as a national semifinalist. The 12 College Football Playoff participants will be decided much later, but Sark is on his hustle a couple of weeks after the Orange-White scrimmage, from studying practice film to watching games of future opponents to keeping an eyeball on the transfer portal.

The Horns aren’t a finished product, but they have the mentality of a team that believes it will be in the same position to win a national title come next winter.

“Our coaching staff is really solid,” he said. “We’ve got great continuity amongst our coordinators. I think we've got a fan base that believes in what we're doing, that in the end — I think that's the exciting part —  now we’ve got to do the work every day and for our players, understanding that, that they all want to win when the fall rolls around.”

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With spring football over, the onus between now and reporting day is on the players to sustain the development and camaraderie in the locker room as they spend time away from their coaches. Sarkisian believes strides were made this spring, and he understands that champions are largely constructed in the offseason.

“We're going to win this season because of the work we do in  June, July, August, and then the work that we do throughout the week in preparation for ballgames,” he said. "But I'd much rather be part of this conversation about are our expectations too high than nobody talking about us. That means we're not doing too much right.”

Anyone who follows football and has viewed championships knows a hungry coach when you see one.

The work remains and the SEC beckons, but it's obvious Sarkisian has the look of a coach stalking big game. He had a peek at the promised land in January. Maybe this winter he will cross over.

'Inside the NBA' could lose Charles Barkley

A show without Barkley? Hey, TNT. Protect "Inside the NBA" at all costs so that Charles Barkley can keep us laughing for many years to come.

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It’s easily one of the best sports shows in history with incredible chemistry. Barkley is one of the top analysts in the game and the most entertaining to boot. But the Hall of Famer sent shock waves through the NBA world when he told a Cleveland sports radio station that his partnership with colleagues Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal on the show could end if TNT isn’t able to secure an extension to its deal with the Association in 2025.

Barkley signed a 10-year contract in 2022 with an opt-out clause that he would invoke if an agreement isn't reached.

"I said, ‘If you guys lose the NBA, I want to make sure I can get out of here.’ So I am actually in a really great position,” Barkley told Cleveland 850 Radio. “I love TNT. They’ve been great to me.”

And later: “I wanted to make sure that if we lost the NBA in two years, I could be a free agent.”

To lose the show would be a crusher to those of us who love good hoops and great analysis, especially in the playoffs, when Barkley and Co. keep things fun and loose while providing great takes from unique perspectives. Johnson is a pro’s pro. Smith is a great straight man, and Shaq’s analysis laced with slapstick comedy has been a great addition.

That said, it’s Chuck who makes it all go. There is no replacing him.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas quarterback Arch Manning continues to grow, develop into a star