Longhorns 'Very Fortunate' to Have QB Arch Manning, Says Steve Sarkisian

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian says Arch Manning has an "extremely bright future."

After guiding Texas to a Big 12 championship and a College Football Playoff appearance last season, Quinn Ewers is set to retain his role as the starting quarterback heading into the 2024 campaign. 

Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian affirmed Wednesday that Ewers will hold the top spot on the depth chart, but acknowledged the promising future of Arch Manning, who will enter the season as the backup quarterback.

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“I think Arch has got an extremely bright future," Sarkisian said of Manning. "We’re very fortunate to have him on our roster. He’s got great leadership skills, a great skill set, and so (Quinn Ewers and Manning) are going to be big for us next year.”

Ewers has established himself as one of the premier quarterbacks in the nation. In the 2023 season, he boasted an impressive completion rate of 69 percent while amassing 3,479 passing yards and recording 22 touchdowns against just six interceptions. His stellar performance was instrumental in guiding the team to a 12–2 record.

Manning, the top recruit of the 2023 class who committed to Texas in the summer of 2022, spent his true freshman year backing up Ewers and Maalik Murphy. In limited playing time, Manning only attempted five passes across two games. With Murphy's departure to Duke after the regular season, Manning was in a position where transferring seemed plausible, especially with Ewers announcing his return to the Longhorns for the upcoming season.

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Despite having the opportunity to transfer to a school where he could have immediately played, Manning decided to sit behind Ewers.

In the upcoming season, Texas faces the challenge of transitioning to the SEC, where competition is expected to intensify as the team aims to secure a playoff berth. The schedule includes a non-conference away game against Michigan, the iconic Red River Rivalry showdown versus Oklahoma, and a home clash against Georgia.