The lasting moment of Texas‘ season was not of beating Alabama, winning the Big 12 or producing Outland Trophy winner T’Vondre Sweat. Instead, it was a viral image of starting quarterback Quinn Ewers alone at an empty podium looking back at his backup, Arch Manning, surrounded by a mob of reporters ahead of the Longhorns’ first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff.
Texas and the Manning family have done a sensational job of protecting Arch from what could be major distractions. He committed to the Longhorns with a simple tweet. When Ewers decided to return for a third season as the starter, Manning never flirted with the transfer portal. His only public NIL deal was a charity drive with Panini America, which also featured his only other tweets since committing. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian publicly named Ewers the starter heading into spring camp — there is zero open competition.
Manning played only two games in his debut season and threw just five passes in a 57-7 win over Texas Tech. While Texas’ 2023 season was defined by protecting Manning during his redshirt season, 2024 is different. The Longhorns need to unleash him.
Few quarterback rooms — if any — in the history of college football match the pedigree of the 2024 Texas room. Ewers and Manning each ranked No. 1 in their respective recruiting classes, becoming the first No. 1 overall quarterback recruits to play next to each other in the modern recruiting era.
Ewers has lived up to the hype, throwing for 5,656 yards and 37 touchdowns in two seasons. During a run to the College Football Playoff, he completed 69% of his passes, averaged 8.8 yards per attempt and pushed his passer rating 25 points. He returns as potentially the No. 1 quarterback prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Still, production from the red-zone offense was one area in which the Big 12 champs struggled last season, ranking 90th nationally in scoring percentage and 120th in touchdown percentage. Manning’s versatility could play a part in improving those standings.
Quarterback remains a difficult nut to crack for high-profile staffs. Only one player at a time takes the field, which leaves high-profile players on the bench. In that way, compiling riches at the quarterback position has diminishing returns. Sarkisian, one of the preeminent quarterback gurus in the sport, can try another way.
Use Manning as a rushing…
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