Dia Bell committed to the Texas Longhorns on June 17, 2024. His status as a Longhorn has been written in ink for over 700 days, and the plan has always been for the five-star quarterback to be the starter of the future.As the son of former NBA player Raja Bell, the spotlight has been on him for a while as Texas fans have anticipated his first snap in burnt orange. His freshman season is finally approaching, but will he play at all in Year 1?Dia Bell Sitting Behind Arch Manning in 2026Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning rouses the fans when entering Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium before a game against the Vanderbilt Commodores. | Scott Wachter-Imagn ImagesThere has been plenty of chatter about when Arch Manning will head to the NFL. Like Bell, he is related to former professional athletes, being the nephew of Eli and Peyton Manning. As such, a reputation precedes him, and people have discussed whether or how he will choose to control his future.There have been expectations that Manning could try to stay in college as long as possible. Even if he had a stronger start to the 2025 season, he may have never been interested in the 2026 NFL draft. Conversations change, though, when looking ahead to 2027 — and these conversations have a significant impact on Bell.Bell always anticipated backing up Manning when he got to Austin, Texas. Manning was the consummate professional as a young quarterback, developing behind the scenes for two years while fellow five-star recruit Quinn Ewers started. Bell could head down a similar path, following Manning's example.“If he does decide to stay the second year, I will have no problem learning,” Bell said on the Cover 3 podcast last July.“That just gives me more time to learn everything and make sure that when it becomes my time, I’m as prepared as possible. I have no problem sitting behind him at all because that means there’s another person I can pick their brain and learn how they go about learning the offense or studying for the next week.”Texas quarterbacks Arch Manning and Quinn Ewers talk during the team's first spring practice of 2023 at the Frank Denius Fields. | Aaron E. Martinez / USA TODAY NETWORKThis mindset is impressive for a young athlete. In the modern era of college football, many players take the path of least resistance or pursue the best opportunity for money. While Manning did not explode out of the gate, his impressive second half of the season can be attributed to the skills and perseverance he developed during his first two seasons with Texas.Bell has also shown the marks of a player willing to power through adversity. He dealt with injuries throughout high school, including season-ending injuries in 2024 and 2025. A year behind the scenes will give him time to get stronger and healthier for the future.“He's a football junkie. He's a sport junkie. He works out. He works his tail off, and so I just think his leadership, his personality, his ability, but probably most importantly, his competitive spirit, are things that we're definitely very excited about,” head coach Steve Sarkisian said in December.The 2026 season will likely be a redshirt season for Bell, as Texas has a player poised to take over as the QB2. It is uncertain what the outlook will be in 2027, but Bell will probably see limited, if any, action in his freshman season, barring injury.KJ Lacey Jr.’s Strong Spring Complicates 2027 OutlookSaraland High School quarterback KJ Lacey is named Alabama Mr. Football during the 2024 Mr. Football and Players of the Year Banquet in Montgomery, Ala., on Monday, January 27, 2025. | Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesManning and Bell are not the only top recruits fighting for snaps under center. KJ Lacey Jr., a four-star recruit, was a top-20 quarterback in the Class of 2025 and won Alabama’s Mr. Football award as a senior. He also reached the state title game as a sophomore and junior.Lacey barely played in his freshman season, completing just one pass for seven yards. With a healthy Manning and a veteran like Matthew Caldwell in his quarterback room, he took the backseat and redshirted to prepare for 2026.Headed into his redshirt freshman season, there is a lot of excitement about his prospects as the team’s backup quarterback. He received extended experience during spring practices while Manning recovers from an injury. Bell even missed time.Lacey’s timeline is reminiscent of Maalik Murphy, a four-star quarterback from California who signed with Texas in the Class of 2022. In 2023, Murphy entered his redshirt freshman season; Ewers returned for his second season as the starter, and Manning took his redshirt season as an incoming freshman.It is too early to tell if Lacey will find himself in a similar situation as Murphy, or if he can solidify himself as the future under center for Texas. Sarkisian and the Longhorns staff will have an important job developing both Lacey and Bell behind the scenes while evaluating them and determining who could be the starter in 2027, assuming Manning does not return for his redshirt senior year.Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow