The entire offseason for Texas was dictated by one narrative and one narrative only, five-star Arch Manning would come in and take the job from Quinn Ewers.
National analysts and publications wrote about it as if it were the quarterback battle of the century, with some being bold enough to say that Ewers would end up back in the portal or Manning would leave if he didn’t win the job.
No slight to Manning, but in Texas’ spring game he played like an early enrollee who had been on campus for about a month or so, because he was. While those of us who closely followed the happenings in Austin knew that Manning likely wasn’t going to take the starting job, others around the country didn’t share the same sentiment.
When Manning was outshined by Ewers and redshirt freshman Maalik Murphy, many started to question the quarterback who turned 18 years old in April. Manning completed 5 of 13 pass attempts for 30 yards and experienced what it is like to be the quarterback at Texas at all times, which is of course being under heavy scrutiny.
While fans across the country took up an obsession with his lackluster showing, his uncle and two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Eli Manning recently expressed he wasn’t too worried about his nephew’s performance. While at the Manning Passing Academy this past week at Nicholls State, Eli was asked by On3 about his nephew’s performance and he had the perfect response as someone who has been on both ends of the spectrum in terms of success and failure.
“For me, I don’t remember many of my spring games. I don’t remember many of my preseason games. Spring games, you can’t look too much into it.”
He also highlighted the importance of the experience that Manning was able to acquire in the spring session.
“I know, for him, it’s about getting in there. Getting into practices, getting in the weight room, learning the playbook. He was still a senior in high school when he went through that spring game. He’s got a lot to learn, but every rep’s important, every practice is important and he’ll just continue to get better and more comfortable.”
There likely won’t be a need for the youngest Manning quarterback to take meaningful snaps in 2023 if all goes right for Texas, but assuming Ewers departs for the NFL after next season, Manning will have his first true crack at competing for the starting gig.