On Wednesday, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian put any potential speculation to bed by naming Quinn Ewers as Longhorns' QB1 heading into the 2024 season, signaling another year of Arch Manning on the bench.
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Of course, this revelation was important. Arch Manning is behind Ewers on the depth chart, and there won't even be a potential starting quarterback competition.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian says Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning are not in a quarterback competition https://t.co/qTmr6i9rmJ
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) February 7, 2024
"Quinn's our starter," Sarkisian said.
He added, "I don't think that Quinn was a finished product yet. And I think there's there's plenty of room for growth and improvement in development in his game, going into year three," he said. "I do think his experience, his maturity are all going to be things he can benefit from."
This past season, Ewers completed 69% of his passes for 3,479 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. His Longhorns lost in the first round of the College Football Playoff to the Washington Huskies. They finished the season 12-2, with losses to the Huskies and the Oklahoma Sooners.
There's no denying Ewers' ability, as he looks to be considered one of the top quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft. But many wonder where this leaves Manning. Does he transfer? Does he ride the bench another year? Does he redshirt?
We'll know the answer relatively soon, as the next 15-day transfer window opens on April 15.
"I think Arch has got an extremely bright future," Sarkisian also said. "We're very fortunate to have him on our roster. He's got great leadership skills, got a great skill set."
Late in the season last year, Manning admitted that not playing was difficult on him.
"There were a lot of tough days. I'm not going to lie," Manning said. "I was never a backup in high school, so there are some days when you graduate early and you're alone in your dorm room. You're like, it's just another day of fighting for a third-string job. My family, they're supporting me. Coaches are pushing me. I'm glad I had this year to develop, learn, and grow as a person and a player."
Fans on X provided varying opinions on the announcement from Sarkisian.
Sark is a dumbass. Ewers will cost the team a few more games and not produce when necessary. He obviously didn’t learn shit from saban about what it takes to win.
— 45NBoots (@pinkeye2007) February 8, 2024
"Sark is a dumb—-," one fan said. "Ewers will cost the team a few more games and not produce when necessary. He obviously didn't learn s—- from saban about what it takes to win."
Good article. Sark is handling it about as good as you can. The job is Quinn’s to lose
— Justin van Sant (@justinvansant) February 8, 2024
"Good article," another user wrote. "Sark is handling it about as good as you can. The job is Quinn's to lose."
Hey @ArchManning Oklahoma will let you compete for job plus you are guaranteed to beat Texas! Think about it…
— Dennis Byers (@dbyers99) February 8, 2024
"Hey @ArchManning Oklahoma will let you compete for job plus you are guaranteed to beat Texas! Think about it...," an Oklahoma fan wrote.
Now, we look toward April 15 to see if Manning makes a jump.
