In the latest episode of “Fansville,” Deputy Quinn Ewers is urged to call for backup but resists. After a brief exchange with his fellow officer, 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 allusion to Arch Manning is both an amusing moment and clever writing in Ewers’ national Dr Pepper commercial. But it also hints at the unique dynamic at Texas. Ewers, the former No. 1 recruit in America, is one of the most well-known names in the sport, a Heisman Trophy candidate who took the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff last year.
Yet Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, grandson of Archie Manning and son of Cooper, still looms large, at least figuratively, because of those famous relatives and Arch’s lofty recruiting status (he also was the No. 1 recruit in his class). That Arch has appeared in two games and attempted just five passes in his Longhorns career yet is still given a wink and a nod in the starting quarterback’s ad underscores the intrigue surrounding him.
But 19 months into his college career, we’ve seen only 27 game snaps of Arch, which only heightens the fascination (fans love the backup quarterback, right?). How much will we see of the redshirt freshman 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 put a lot of time and care into the recruiting process. Arch knew what he was stepping into with Ewers already at Texas. The chance to develop under Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, who has a long track record of coaching successful quarterbacks, was important to Manning.
Sarkisian’s pupils include former USC quarterbacks Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Mark Sanchez, former Washington quarterback Jake Locker and former Alabama quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones.
“Part of your recruiting is your track record,” Sarkisian said 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 try to play in the best conference in America and then ultimately put himself in the best position to further his career playing in the National Football League.”
Because of that plan, Sarkisian doesn’t think Manning’s decision to wait it out has been too 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 entrenched as the starter
Going into 2024, there’s no doubt who QB1 is at Texas and there shouldn’t be. Ewers, who bypassed the NFL Draft to return for one more season, took big steps forward in 2023. He substantially improved in most major statistical categories including completion percentage (58.1 to 69 percent), passing yards (2,177 to 3,479), touchdowns (15 to 22), yards per attempt (7.4 to 8.8) and passer rating (132.6 to 158.6). He also became more consistent.
This year, he’s starting to have the look of a leader. Sarkisian said in July that even though his physical development and progression have been great, he has been more excited about Ewers’ personal and emotional development.
“That has instilled a ton of confidence in everybody in our building,” Sarkisian said. “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 says the Longhorns will need Arch at some point
In each of Sarkisian’s three seasons, he has had to turn to his backup quarterback. In 2021, he benched Hudson Card for Casey Thompson two weeks into the season but wound up needing both down the stretch because of injuries.
In 2022, Ewers missed three games with an injury and missed two more last year. With this season potentially longer because of the 12-team Playoff, it stands to reason that, at some point, the Longhorns need to turn to Manning.
“Very comfortable if Arch goes in the game that he’ll go in and operate and operate at a high level,” Sarkisian said Thursday.
There’s excitement around Manning’s development
Last season was a learning experience for Manning. After starting his entire high school career, sitting on the bench as QB3 was a challenge, especially in his first months on campus.
“There were a lot of tough days. I’m not going to lie,” Manning said 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, things were clearly moving fast for Manning. By the time he made his college debut against Texas Tech, flashes of his athletic ability and arm talent were present. But there were still some freshman jitters as he dropped a shotgun snap.
This spring, he showed significant growth. Manning dazzled in the Orange and White game, looking comfortable, confident and in command while throwing for 355 yards and three touchdowns. He was accurate with four of his seven incompletions hitting a receiver’s hands.
With Texas’ 2023 backup, Maalik Murphy, having transferred to Duke, Manning is the clear No. 2 quarterback. Sarkisian said as the Longhorns embark on the 2024 season, Manning has taken a big step forward in his development.
“I’d probably say (he’s) light-years ahead of where he was last year at this time,” Sarkisian said 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 said he wants to play a lot of players in the early part of the season as Texas develops depth for a season it hopes extends into mid-January. “If you’re in the two-deep, you’re playing in the first half,” Sarkisian said.
Does that mean Manning will play in the first half Saturday against Colorado State?
“We’ll find out,” Sarkisian said.
(Photo: Tim Warner / Getty Images)
