In the most recent episode of “Fansville,” Deputy Quinn Ewers is encouraged to request backup but refuses. After a brief conversation with his colleague, Texas’ third-year starting quarterback delivers the punchline.
“We don’t need any backup, even if he has great hair and famous relatives,” Ewers said.
The reference to Arch Manning is both a humorous moment and clever writing in Ewers’ national Dr Pepper advertisement. However, it also reflects the unique situation at Texas. Ewers, the former No. 1 recruit in the country, is a prominent figure in the sport, a Heisman Trophy contender who led the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff last season.
Yet Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, grandson of Archie Manning, and son of Cooper, still holds significance, at least symbolically, due to his famous relatives and Arch’s high recruiting status (he also held the No. 1 recruiting position in his class). The fact that Arch has only played in two games and attempted just five passes in his Longhorns career but still gets a mention in the starting quarterback’s commercial highlights the intrigue surrounding him.
However, after 19 months in his college career, we have only seen 27 game snaps of Arch so far, adding to the interest (fans tend to love the backup quarterback, right?). How much of the redshirt freshman will we see in 2024?
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Manning remains patient
One of the first questions casual observers ask about Manning is whether he has considered transferring since he hasn’t started. To this point, Manning has given no indication that’s in the cards.
It’s fair to wonder because transfer quarterbacks have become the norm. Of the 68 power conference teams, 43 are expected to start transfers this season, according to Yahoo Sports, a 63 percent rate.
But when asked in December before the Sugar Bowl whether he considered making a move while practicing as third on the depth chart most of the season, Manning said no.
“I haven’t looked into transferring at all,” he said then. “I’m just focused on developing and helping this team in any way I can. And hopefully one day playing for the University of Texas like I’ve always wanted to.”
This summer at the Manning Passing Academy, he reiterated his desire to stay in Austin while acknowledging how tough it is to stay patient.
“It’s tough because you want to be out there playing with your boys,” Manning said in July. “But (it came down to) just realizing there’s nowhere else I want to be, and it was my dream to play at Texas. I’m going to stick it out and play there eventually.”
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Manning and his family invested a lot of time and thought into the recruiting process. Arch was aware of the situation with Ewers already at Texas. The opportunity to develop under Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, who has a successful history of coaching quarterbacks, was crucial to Manning.
Sarkisian’s previous quarterbacks include Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Mark Sanchez, Jake Locker, Tua Tagovailoa, and Mac Jones.
“Part of your recruiting is your track record,” Sarkisian mentioned at SEC media days. “We’ve been fortunate to coach some pretty good quarterbacks. We’ve been fortunate to do it for some decades now. We’ve been fortunate to have some really good quarterback rooms, and I think the Manning family is pretty well aware of that.
“I think they trained Arch to try to put himself in the best position to play in the best conference in America and then ultimately advance his career playing in the National Football League.”
Due to that plan, Sarkisian believes that Manning’s decision to wait it out has not been overly difficult.
“I think Arch’s development has been important to the family, and he’s reaping the benefit of those things,” Sarkisian said. “It hasn’t been very difficult at all. I think it’s been pretty simple for him.”
In Texas’ spring game, Arch Manning completed 19 of 25 passes for 355 yards and three touchdowns. (Sara Diggins / USA Today)
Ewers is firmly established as the starter
Heading into 2024, there is no doubt about who QB1 is at Texas and there shouldn’t be. Ewers, who chose to return for another season instead of entering the NFL Draft, made significant strides in 2023. He vastly improved in various statistical categories including completion percentage, passing yards, touchdowns, yards per attempt, and passer rating. He also became more consistent.
This season, he is starting to show leadership qualities. Sarkisian mentioned in July that while his physical development and progress have been impressive, he is more excited about Ewers’ personal and emotional growth.
“That has instilled a ton of confidence in everybody in our building,” Sarkisian stated. “He walks in that building like he is the starting quarterback at the University of Texas for a top-five football team, and I think that has permeated throughout our locker room. …
“Now do I want more touchdowns, less interceptions, higher completion percentage? Of course. But I think those things are a byproduct of his preparation, are a byproduct of the confidence that he exudes and the way he goes to work.”
History indicates the Longhorns will need Arch at some point
In each of Sarkisian’s three seasons, he has had to rely on his backup quarterback. In 2021, he replaced Hudson Card with Casey Thompson two weeks into the season but ended up needing both due to injuries.
In 2022, Ewers missed several games with an injury. With this year potentially extending due to the 12-team Playoff, it is likely that at some point, the Longhorns will turn to Manning.
“I am very comfortable that if Arch goes into the game, he will operate at a high level,” Sarkisian stated on Thursday.
There is excitement surrounding Manning’s progress
Last season was a learning curve for Manning. After being a starter throughout high school, sitting on the bench as QB3 was a challenge, especially in his early months in college.
“There were a lot of tough days. I’m not going to lie,” Manning revealed in December. “I was never a backup in high school. There are some days when you graduate early, you’re alone in your dorm room and you’re like, ‘It’s another day of fighting for the third-string job.’”
In his first spring game, Manning showed rapid progress. By the time he made his college debut against Texas Tech, glimpses of his athletic ability and arm talent were evident. However, there were still some freshman nerves as he mishandled a snap.
This spring, he displayed significant improvement. Manning impressed in the Orange and White game, appearing comfortable, confident, and in control while throwing for 355 yards and three touchdowns. He demonstrated accuracy with four of his seven incomplete passes hitting receivers’ hands.
With Texas’ former 2023 backup, Maalik Murphy, transferring to Duke, Manning is now the clear No. 2 quarterback. Sarkisian stated that as the Longhorns kick off the 2024 season, Manning has taken major strides in his development.
“I’d probably say (he’s) light-years ahead of where he was last year at this time,” Sarkisian mentioned on Thursday. “His understanding of what we’re trying to do offensively, the nuances of the scheme, the timing of certain throws, the protections, all of those things. And I just think his overall comfort level and confidence is much higher than it was a year ago at this time.”
On Monday, Sarkisian expressed his desire to involve many players in the early part of the season as Texas builds depth for a potentially extended season. “If you’re in the two-deep, you’re playing in the first half,” Sarkisian mentioned.
Does this mean Manning will play in the first half against Colorado State on Saturday?
“We’ll find out,” Sarkisian concluded.
(Photo: Tim Warner / Getty Images)