There’s several position battles and question marks for Texas football this spring.
However, the talent on the roster is evident and the Longhorns return all but one starter on the offensive side of the ball. Many newcomers are expected to make an immediate impact for Steve Sarkisian’s squad also.
One particular development to watch this spring is five-star quarterback Arch Manning. Some national media networks believe Manning could compete for the starting role off the bat, but it’s much more likely for him to redshirt his freshman season behind Quinn Ewers prior to taking over in 2024.
On3’s Jesse Simonton recently discussed the battle between Manning and Ewers and tabbed it as the most pressing question for Sarkisian’s staff over the next few months. “Will Arch Manning show enough this spring to force Steve Sarkisian into playing two quarterbacks?”
Here’s what Simonton had to say about the two talented signal-callers.
Quinn Ewers is the starting quarterback at Texas. For now anyways. The former No. 1 overall recruit had an up-and-down redshirt freshman season, flashing his rocket arm but also struggling with footwork, accuracy and timing.
But Ewers has all the tools to make a significant sophomore leap in Steve Sarkisian’s QB-friendly system. The Longhorns should have one of the best OLs in the country, and their receiver room is stacked with the addition of AD Mitchell from Georgia and the return of Isaiah Neyor, a ballyhooed transfer last offseason who never suited up for Texas after tearing his ACL.
But Ewers also has the most famous backup quarterback in America now with Arch Manning on campus. The purported plan is for Manning to play sparingly, potentially take a redshirt season and become the starter in 2024.
But could that equation change if Manning is awesome this spring? If he balls out, could Sarkisian opt to play both quarterbacks, especially since Texas will leave the Big 12 for the SEC next season and Manning having some Power 5 experience could ease that transition? We’ll find out I guess.
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