Buckeyes' Week 1 Opponent Texas Names Starting Quarterback

Ohio State will have to defeat a passer that's projected to be one of the best in the country.

Jan 10, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) runs against Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Jordan Hancock (7) and safety Caleb Downs (2) during the second quarter of the College Football Playoff semifinal in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images / Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

The last time that Ohio State and Texas faced off, it was a 28-14 win for the Buckeyes in the 2025 Cotton Bowl. Jack Sawyer had the clinching score, stripping the ball from Longhorn quarterback Quinn Ewers and returning it for the game-winning touchdown.

When the two teams meet again, it'll be in the 2025-26 season opener on August 30. However, the Buckeyes' defense won't be chasing after Ewers again after the signal-caller entered the NFL Draft.

In an announcement that should not have surprised anyone, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian told FanDuel's Kay Adams on Thursday that highly touted recruit Arch Manning would be the team's starter to begin the upcoming season.

"It'd be pretty tough for me to say he's probably not going to be our starting quarterback," Sarkisian said. "The exposure that he's had, I think he's ready for it. I think he's ready for the moment... We're in a good spot to have a pretty good football team and it's going to be even better knowing he's going to be the guy for us."

While Sarkisian initially said that Manning has to "earn it," he later fully endorsed the young QB following some light pressure from Adams.

Arch Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, was the top-ranked recruit coming out of high school in 2023 and earned a perfect prospect rating of '100,' per 247 Sports. In his young career, he has backed Ewers up for the past two seasons and used his rushing ability on occasional third-down and fourth-down conversions. The 6-foot-4 passer will turn 20 years old in April.

After Ewers missed several games with an oblique injury in 2024, Manning stepped up in a big way. He combined to throw for 806 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions in three wins over UTEP, Louisiana Monroe and Mississippi State while adding two scores on the ground.

Against the Buckeyes, Manning had an eight-yard rush on fourth-and-1 that led to Texas' touchdown right before halftime. It was the only statistic Manning had in the Cotton Bowl, and he will look to log many more against Ohio State come August.

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