Texas Longhorns 'Bona Fide National Championship Contenders' Regardless of QB

The Texas Longhorns might have the best problem in college football.

Texas Longhorns quarterbacks Arch Manning (16), left, and Quinn Ewers (3) throw passes while warming up ahead of the Longhorns' spring Orange and White game at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas, April 20, 2024. / Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Texas Longhorns might have the best 'problem' in college football.

At the most important position on the field - quarterback - Texas boasts two of the best players in the nation: Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning.

One is a serious Heisman Trophy contender and top NFL Draft prospect, while the other is an up-and-coming start with everything ahead of him in his future. And both have proven that, no matter which one is under center, the Horns have one of the best offenses in the entire country.

During and appearance on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, however, FOX analyst Joel Klatt took that take one step further, suggesting that either QB is capable of leading the Longhorns to a national championship.

“Ewers is their starter, and he’s going to be their starter, and they want him back, and he’s their leader,” Klatt said. “But Arch has solidified them as a bona fide national championship contender because now, it doesn’t matter if their quarterback stays healthy. They’re still a premier team in the country with him at quarterback.”

Of course, Ewers has already proven that he is capable of taking the Longhorns the distance, coming within one play of reaching the national title last season before falling short in a heartbreaking loss vs. the Washington Huskies in the Sugar Bowl.

He has also beaten Alabama and Michigan on the road, and won a conference title.

Manning, on the other hand, has yet to come close to that level. That's not to say that he is not just as talented - if not more so - than Ewers from a physical standpoint. It is also not meant to suggest that he has flourished with the opportunities that he has been given.

But in terms of experience, Manning has yet to face any kind of real adversity or pressure.

Unlike the battle-tested Ewers, he has not faced down a hostile environment of 100,000 screaming at the top of their lungs to get in his head.

But that time will come. He will get those opportunities.

And according to Klatt, once he does get the chance to be the full time starter, there will be no looking back, because Manning is a central part of an extremely bright football future.

"The future of football is so bright. In 10 years, if you’re still doing this, we’re going to be talking about an incredible NFL Sunday matchup between Arch Manning and Dylan Raiola... There are some players in college football, like Shedeur Sanders... we’re going to be watching these guys for a long time. Manning’s one of them."