College football fans got their first look at Arch Manning when he made his debut for Texas on Saturday day during the Longhorns’ annual Orange-White spring game. The freshman quarterback shared snaps with fellow quarterbacks Quinn Ewers and redshirt freshman Maalik Murphy.
Manning has been under the microscope, given his name, recruitment status, and ridiculous NIL earnings. Despite all the hype surrounding him, college football fans were a little disappointed with his showing in the Texas football spring game.
The college freshman played like any other freshman, making a lot of poor reads, throwing interceptions, and failing to display the accuracy that made him one of the most highly-touted recruits in recent memory.
Check out the video highlights of Arch Manning’s Texas Football Spring Game below.
Every play from Arch Manning’s Spring Game debut..
— The Players' Lounge (@ThPlayersLounge) April 17, 2023
Steve Sarkisian Names Quinn Ewers Longhorns QB1
For now, it seems that Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian has made up his mind about the starting quarterback position.
Though many college football experts believed that Manning could potentially challenge Ewers for the starting job right away, it seems like there will be no quarterback controversy in Austin.
Highlights and reaction from @TexasFootball's Orange-White Spring Game!
Steve Sarkisian on the QB battle: "I think it's pretty clear to say, Quinn's our starting quarterback, and we feel very good about that."#HookEm | @KVUE pic.twitter.com/HKONioDA8o
— Tyler Feldman (@TylerFeldmanTV) April 16, 2023
“I think it’s pretty clear to say, you know, Quinn’s our starting quarterback and we feel very good about that,” Sarkisian said. “I thought our younger quarterbacks did some good things, Malik and Arch, still a work in progress.”
Manning Era Will Have To Wait But Ewers May Have Short Leash
Even though Manning will not start, the future seems bright at quarterback for the Longhorns.
A former freshman phenom himself, Ewers hasn’t backed down from the challenge of competing with the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit. A 6-foot-2 sophomore, Ewers completed 58 percent of his passes for 2,177 yards with 15 touchdowns and only six interceptions a year ago. He also finished off the season in style, throwing for 369 yards with one touchdown in a Valero Alamo Bowl loss versus Washington.
Ewers started 10 games for the Longhorns after transferring over from Ohio State and will have the edge in experience early on. However, it seems only a matter of time before Manning surpasses the incumbent starter on the depth chart.
With early-season matchups against Alabama, Baylor, and Oklahoma on the schedule, the pressure will be on Ewers to perform right away. If Texas opens the season 3-3 or even 4-2, Longhorns fans could start to get impatient and call for Manning even before he’s ready.
So when might a quarterback switch happen?
The Longhorns’ schedule starts to shift favorably in late October with winnable games against Houston, BYU, and Kansas State. If Ewers fails to perform versus some of the nation’s top-tier teams, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Sarkisian opt for a change under center to ignite a fire under his team and the Longhorns’ faithful.
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