Longhorns WR Xavier Worthy Raves About QB Room: 'Crazy!'
The Texas Longhorns are feeling the expectations headed into this season, but maybe no one's feeling it more than coach Steve Sarkisian's offense.
Despite the loss of running backs Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson, the Longhorns are expected to boast the best offense in the Big 12 for their final year in the conference. Despite some inconsistencies last season, they have quarterback Quinn Ewers and Xavier Worthy to thank for this, along with a slew of talented freshmen and transfers.
But understandably, much of the attention will be on the Texas quarterback room, which is oozing with talent. Ewers is the starter, but behind him is the 6-5, 238-pound Maalik Murphy and young freshman prodigy Arch Manning.
It's a group that has impressed Worthy this offseason, though it's been in ways that seem to have stretched beyond the field.
“I feel like the quarterback room, the bond is crazy," Worthy said Wednesday at Big 12 Media Days in Arlington. "It’s a friendly competition. I feel like they’re all in there to have fun and support each other.”
Of course, there's no actual competition for the starting job, but the fact that these three have apparently been pushing one another is a wonderful sign for the future of the position for Texas. It's a group that remains one of the most interesting in college football, and the buzz is warranted.
Murphy had fans fearful that he'd be transferring after an impressive showing at the spring game, though this was pure speculation. After a lingering ankle injury caused him to sit out and miss key practice reps as a freshman, he showed fans what he was capable of during April's scrimmage.
As for Manning, it's all about reaching that sky-high potential. He showed a few flashes in the spring game but is realistically still a project for Sarkisian and the coaching staff.
It's not often that there's so much talk about the backup and third-string quarterback. But it just goes to show how much both the team and Worthy believe in Ewers since there's no real threat of him losing the starting job to either of these two despite their talent.
“Quinn’s leadership, I feel like he’s the head of the snake," Worthy said. "He’s accepting that role. He has to be the head of the snake. The quarterback is the head of the snake. Everybody is going to go with him. If he says something, everybody’s going to go. If he says that’s not allowed, then everybody is going to listen.”
If the entire is behind Ewers as much as Worthy says they'll be, then the Longhorns could be due for one of their best seasons in over a decade on the path toward potentially winning a Big 12 Championship.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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