Texas Longhorns Coach Steve Sarkisian Shuts Down QB Question

The Texas Longhorns will not even entertain a quarterback change this week.

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

Desplite playing well throughout his entire time in Austin, Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers has had many calling for his job over the past two years.

That's because his backup is none other than Arch Manning, a former five-star recruit who's part of what's essentially football's royal family. Any time Ewers plays even slightly less than perfect, legions of onlookers will call for Manning to take over.

As it stands now, though, Ewers maintains a strong grip on the starting job. Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian was asked what it would take to make an in-game quarterback change, and he didn't even entertain the idea.

“I’m not even going to answer that,” Sarkisian said Thursday. “I don’t know what the question is. Next question.”

Recently, Manning started against both ULM and Mississippi State while Ewers dealt with an abdominal injury. The redshirt freshman played quite well in relief, completing 41 of 60 passes for 583 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. He also scored on the ground against Mississippi State.

Ewers, a junior, returned last week for the Red River Rivalry against Oklahoma and completed 20 of 29 passes for 199 yards, two total touchdowns (one passing, one rushing), and an interception. He showed some rust at first, but eventually shook it off and led the Longhorns to a 34-3 victory over their hated rivals.

Before that game, Sarkisian strongly rejected the idea of playing multiple quarterbacks.

“When I was a starter I never wanted the backup coming in the game, even for a play,” Sarkisian said. “And I remember my senior year of college, I had been banged up and coaches wanted to run a quarterback draw. And they called the play and I scored a touchdown. So I’ve got respect for a guy that’s a starting quarterback and the rhythm that is needed to play with, so no that’s not something I’ve ever entertained.”

Safe to say that it'll be Ewers under center for the entirety of the matchup when the Longhorns host the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday, and for the foreseeable future as well.