Tag: Arch Manning

Looking at Texas’ 2024 QB room and how Quinn Ewers is still the clear starter

Texas has one of the best quarterback rooms in the country.

Texas is returning a quarterback in Quinn Ewers who led the Longhorns to their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance and their first conference championship since 2009. Ewers is already a favorite to win the 2024 Heisman Trophy and will likely be one of the top quarterbacks taken in the 2025 NFL draft.

Ewers announced his return to Texas a few weeks ago due to unfinished business. Although the Longhorns finished with their best record in over a decade, winning a national championship is the ultimate goal.

Texas now enters the SEC with a strong chance to make back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances, and now they have arguably the best quarterback room in the nation.

Here is a look at who will be in the quarterback room for the Longhorns in 2024.

Social media had jokes with Texas returning the 2 highest-rated QB prospects of the 2020s

Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning are the two highest-rated high school QB prospects of the 2020s in college. Will they share the field again?

Quinn Ewers’ announcement that he will return to Texas, though not unexpected, created a question for the Longhorns and backup quarterback Arch Manning.

It’s no longer a one-year stint on the bench for Manning, who committed to Texas months after Ewers transferred to the Longhorns from Ohio State. As the No. 1 player and quarterback in the class of 2023, he seemingly expected to learn for a season and then have his turn for at least two years.

With Ewers coming back, Texas once again has the top two quarterback prospects of any graduated high school class of the 2020s. Manning had a 0.9995 rating on the 247Sports Composite in 2023 while Ewers earned the rare 1.000 in 2021.

By the time next season starts, will they still have both? Or will Manning have transferred and Ewers have just one year left?

The social media platform X seemed to know the answer. Shortly after the announcement, not only was Ewers trending, but Manning was as well with jokes being shot off about the freshman’s future.

Radio host Trey Elling: Texas should want to return both five-star QBs

Texas needs both Ewers and Manning for 2024.

Some of Texas faithful are ready to move on from starting quarterback Quinn Ewers. Those in that contingent of fans aren’t convincing one college football analyst.

Texas Sports Unfiltered’s Trey Elling doesn’t think losing Ewers is in any way positive. He shared why he wants both Ewers and Arch Manning to return.

“I can’t think of a scenario where I don’t want Quinn back starting next season with Arch starting as the backup, or maybe you make it an open competition. But Quinn Ewers is going to win that job though, guys.

We’ve seen Arch Manning for two games. What, two of five (completions), had some nice runs in one game and the other game he was essentially kneeling the clock out in that Big 12 championship game.

So I know we’re excited. You should be excited. Future does feel bright at the quarterback position, especially with the recruitment of Trey Owens. KJ Lacey is going to be coming in a couple years as well, but the grass is not always greener.”

Texas is no stranger to the grass is always greener mentality. On the heels of a breakout performance in the Alamo Bowl by backup quarterback Casey Thompson, Longhorns faithful did their best to rush veteran quarterback Sam Ehlinger off the field. We all know how that went, and we learned you probably shouldn’t take too much stock in big plays made in the Alamo Bowl.

Elling went on to discuss what a good position Texas is in with Ewers at quarterback.

“Don’t neglect to appreciate what you have right now. And Texas has a very special quarterback right now who may very well come back for one more season.”

If Texas starts the year as a preseason top five program it will be because they return an experienced, proven and productive player at quarterback in Quinn Ewers. And while Manning will have his opportunity to build a legacy and maybe earn a statue outside Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, this team needs Ewers if it wants to compete for a title in 2024.

Arch Manning doesn’t look back on his grandfather’s Saints career too fondly

Arch Manning doesn’t look back on his grandfather’s Saints career fondly, though he says “it’s cool” to be back in the Superdome:

It’s the weekend of the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans where the Texas Longhorns and Washington Huskies will meet inside the Caesars Superdome for the opportunity to advance to the NCAA National Championship Game.

Though he won’t play, barring injury, Texas quarterback Arch Manning is back home in the city and ready to suit up in the same stadium where his grandfather Archie Manning played from 1971 to 1982. The younger Manning acknowledged the history made at the venue, but he doesn’t look back on his predecessor’s Saints career too fondly.

“My granddad, he’s my biggest role model. It’s cool being back where he played, where he ran around and got killed,” Manning told The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate’s Rod Walker.

Sacks were not officially tracked until 1982, but the good people at Pro Football Reference have done the work to find unofficial sack numbers all the way back to 1960. And their research found that the elder Manning set and broke the NFL record for sacks in a single season three times. He was sacked 40 times for a loss of 332 yards in 1971, 53 times for 347 lost yards in 1972, and a personal-high 49 times for 390 yards in 1975, before he lost the entire 1976 season to a shoulder injury.

Manning will continue as the backup to Quinn Ewers at Texas next season, unless Ewers makes a surprise decision to declare for the 2023 NFL draft following the playoffs. A local favorite who starred at Isidore Newman High School, Manning is patiently waiting for his opportunity at the college level. The son of Cooper Manning, he’s hoping to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather and uncles Peyton and Eli to forge his own successful pro football career.

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Social media reacts to Texas backup QB Arch Manning’s interview

Arch Manning made headlines after sharing about his loyalty to Texas.

Texas backup quarterback Arch Manning is larger than life. His media availability ahead of the Sugar Bowl drew a massive crowd of reporters eager to get a glimpse into the mind of Texas’ heir apparent at quarterback.

There have been several examples of misinformation swirling about Manning’s status with Texas since he committed to the Longhorns last offseason. The freshman quarterback addressed some of those rumors in his media availability.

Here’s what Manning had to say about those suggesting he would look at transferring elsewhere.

ā€œObviously thereā€™s always rumors, especially nowadays. I havenā€™t looked into transferring at all. Iā€™m just focused on developing and helping this team any way I can and hopefully one day playing for the University of Texas like Iā€™ve always wanted to.ā€

The above quote is exactly as many who cover the team have reported for several months. Perhaps hearing from Manning will be enough to quell the rumors about his status with Texas.

Here’s a look at what Manning said and social media’s reaction to the interview.

Texas backup QB Arch Manning addressed rumors about him transferring before the Sugar Bowl

Arch Manning is now Texas’ No. 2 quarterback behind Quinn Ewers.

Texas backup quarterback Arch Manning spoke to the media for the first time as a Longhorn ahead of his No. 3 team’s College Football Playoff semifinal game at the Sugar Bowl against No. 2 Washington.

Saturday, he addressed rumors of his possible transfer from Texas and pretty much shot them down. It’s a fair question considering Texas’ starter, Quinn Ewers, hasn’t definitively said whether or not he plans to return in 2024, and the Longhorns’ other backup, Maalik Murphy, entered the transfer portal and announced last week he’s headed to Duke.

But the freshman quarterback ā€” who was the top recruit from the 2023 class and is also Peyton and Eli Manning’s nephew ā€” said he’s not considering a transfer.

Via The Athletic:

ā€œObviously, thereā€™s all these rumors but I havenā€™t looked into transferring at all. Iā€™m just focused on developing and helping this team in any way I can and hopefully, one day playing for the University of Texas like I always wanted to,ā€ Manning said.

For Monday’s Sugar Bowl semifinal, Manning will be the next man up, should something happen to Ewers, who’s dealt with multiple injuries over the years. But he said he’s ready should he have to go in.

More via ESPN:

“I’ve tried to prepare like I’m the starter every week, but I guess now that you’re just one play away instead of two, there’s a little more to be prepared for,” Manning said. “A lot of it is mental just because you’re watching, you’ve got to get mental reps and just trying to prepare like you’re the starter because there’s a good chance you play. There’s also a good chance you don’t play, but at the end of the day, it’s just football, going out there, doing what I’ve done my whole life. So that’s what I’m trying to do.”

This season so far, Manning attempted passes in one game, the Longhorns’ 57-7 win over Texas Tech in November, and he completed two-of-five passes for 30 yards.

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Texas QB Arch Manning has improved significantly throughout freshman year

Arch Manning is still Texas’ quarterback of the future.

The talk around Arch Manning has been significant since he announced his commitment to play at the University of Texas. From fans thinking he would start to rivals hoping for his transfer.

Neither happened throughout his freshman year at Texas. Manning has reportedly gained 15 pounds of muscle and has improved enough to run Steve Sarkisian’s entire offense.

After only making two appearances on the field this year, Manning is set to gain redshirt freshman status next season. The young quarterback is expected to take on the position of QB2 on the team’s roster, which would place him second in line for the starting position behind Quinn Ewers.

Ewers is likely to return next year, and another year of sitting and learning will do Manning wonders, especially as Texas moves to the SEC.

Manning is still the quarterback of the future and will continue to grow in Sark’s offense.

Texas QB Maalik Murphy plans to enter the transfer portal

Texas quarterback Maalik Murphy is expected to enter the transfer portal. Murphy started two games this year for the Longhorns.

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Texas Longhorns quarterback Maalik Murphy is expected to enter the transfer portal. Continue reading “Texas QB Maalik Murphy plans to enter the transfer portal”

Despite recent reports, Arch Manning’s plan was to stay at Texas

Arch Manning is happy at Texas.

There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the future of Arch Manning in light of the possibility of Quinn Ewers returning to Texas for the 2024 season.

Some NFL scouts have said that Ewers would benefit from another year in college and would most likely be a top pick in the 2025 NFL draft. Even if Ewers is leaning towards returning to Texas next year, a good College Football Playoff run can change anything.

As for Manning, sources close to the situation have indicated that he is expected to remain with the Longhorns. This news will undoubtedly come as a relief to Texas fans who have been eagerly anticipating Manning’s debut in burnt orange.

It’s important to note that the reports of Manning possibly transferring have come from outside of the Texas circle. There was never a doubt inside the facilities in Austin.

Most Texas fans knew that Manning wasn’t going to go anywhere either, despite fans of other programs wanting the former five-star and No. 1 recruit of the 2023 class. Manning will be a redshirt freshman in 2024 will four years of eligibility remaining, and will benefit greatly if Ewers were to return for Texas’ inaugural season in the SEC.

Twitter reacts to Arch Manning’s college football debut

Peyton Manning’s nephew, Arch, made his college football debut on Black Friday. Here’s how social media reacted.

The Texas Longhorns dominated Texas Tech in a 57-7 blowout victory on Black Friday, providing an opportunity for true freshman quarterback Arch Manning to make his college football debut.

Arch, the son of Cooper Manning and nephew of former NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli, had a modest (yet intriguing) performance. Manning went 2-of-5 passing for 30 yards. He also made a few plays with his feet.

Arch’s father, Cooper, was a star wide receiver in high school, but his football career was cut short before college by spinal stenosis. Following the retirements of Peyton and Eli, Cooper has been included in several commercials with his brothers.

Peyton, Eli and Cooper, of course, are the sons of Archie and Olivia Manning. Archie had a 14-year career as a quarterback in the NFL, spending time with the New Orleans Saints, Houston Oilers and Minnesota Vikings. A two-time Pro Bowler, Arche is a member of the Saints’ Hall of Fame.

Arch is now the latest Manning to play quarterback. Check out how Twitter/X reacted to his Texas debut below.