• Arch Manning is set to make his first career start this weekend: With Quinn Ewers dealing with an abdominal strain, the redshirt freshman will start this week for top-ranked Texas.
• This is still Quinn Ewers’ job when he returns: No matter how good the former No. 1 overall recruit looks, Texas should still roll with Ewers the rest of the season when he returns from his injury.
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Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes
Arch Manning has had sky-high expectations placed on him since birth. That comes with his last name after the legacies his uncles, Peyton and Eli, and his grandfather, Archie, created.
The hype was only magnified when Arch Manning became the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2023 high school class and committed to Texas, one of the most storied programs in college football history. He spent his freshman year as the Longhorns’ third-string quarterback, attempting just five passes in 2023.
With Maalik Murphy transferring to Duke, Manning became Quinn Ewers’ backup as a redshirt freshman for the 2024 season. That was until Ewers suffered an abdominal strain against UTSA in Week 3, which knocked him out of the game early in the second quarter. Manning was inserted and looked spectacular in the most game action he’s had in his college career.
He finished with an 88.6 PFF overall grade after going 9-for-12 for 223 yards, four touchdowns and the first big-time throw of his career. Manning also seemingly got his mobility from his grandfather rather than his stationary uncles, as he ripped off a 67-yard touchdown run to boot.
A Manning that can run. It's over for the league
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 15, 2024
With the news that Ewers is week-to-week with his injury, Manning will make his first college start this weekend against Louisiana-Monroe. Texas should also feel comfortable starting the redshirt freshman the following week against Mississippi State, the worst SEC team in PFF’s power rankings. The Longhorns then have a bye week, meaning Ewers can rest for nearly a full month before potentially returning for the Red River Rivalry against No. 15 Oklahoma on Oct. 12.
Highest-Graded Power Four QBs | Week 3, 2024
But no matter how good Manning looks over the next couple of weeks, make no mistake: This is still Ewers’ team. After all, the redshirt junior was the betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy just last week before his injury. That was following a fantastic performance on the road against one of the best defenses in America in the then-No. 10 Michigan Wolverines.
Ewers threw for 246 yards, three touchdowns, two big-time throws and no turnover-worthy plays in a dominant 31-12 victory over the defending national champions. The year before, Ewers led the Longhorns to their first Big 12 championship in 14 seasons while also securing the school’s first-ever College Football Playoff berth, officially stamping Texas as finally being “back.” He’s a potential first-round quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft who has done nothing on the field to have his job security threatened.
While other five-star recruits may have transferred if they weren’t starting in their second season, Manning returned to Texas knowing full well he’d have to hold a clipboard for one more year. Even with Ewers hurt, those plans haven’t changed. These next couple of weeks are merely an excellent opportunity to get an early look at the Longhorns’ 2025 starting quarterback — and a potential top prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. There is no quarterback controversy in Austin.
Manning is the best backup quarterback in college football, one who would start for a lot of schools right now. With Ewers set to return at some point this season, Texas shouldn’t be one of them.
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