Urban Meyer Weighs in on Texas Longhorns' QB Situation

The Texas Longhorns' quarterback controversy may not be what it seems.

Former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer walks by the end zone during the first half between Michigan and Ohio State at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Texas Longhorns' quarterback situation has been arguably the most fascinating in college football for over a year, and now it's getting more attention than ever.

In the second quarter of Saturday's loss to the Georgia Bulldogs, the Longhorns pulled starting Quinn Ewers in favor of Arch Manning as the offense struggled to get anything going. Manning didn't stay in the game for long, but that brief appearance was enough to raise questions about the quarterback situation as a whole.

At least, that's the case for some media members. Others like FOX Sports' Urban Meyer, who won two national championships at Florida and one at Ohio State, believe there isn't much of a controversy to speak of.

“I think these discussions are had well in advance. I mean, it’s life in the big city,” Meyer said on The Triple Option podcast. “Whether you’re a right guard, quarterback, safety, or corner, if you are not playing well in places like Texas... there’s quality people behind you. If Mark Ingram’s not playing good, you got a cat behind him, he’s going in. I would tell the quarterback the same thing and I would tell the team the same thing.”

Manning, nephew of NFL legends Peyton and Eli Manning, is easily the most famous backup quarterback in the country, so any time he sees game action is going to draw national headlines whether or not he's actually in contention for the starting job.

“The media will make it bigger than it is in the locker room, if you’re not performing well as a punter, I’m gonna take you out and put the other putter in and I explain that,” Meyer said. “Those are conversations had well before the first half of the Georgia game.

“I think that’s a bigger story for us and for Austin news stations or whatever. It is what it is.”

Ewers did improve in the second half, but it was too little, too late as the Longhorns fell 30-15 for their first loss of the season.

The Longhorns look to bounce back when they travel to face No. 25 Vanderbilt on Saturday.

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