The Arch Manning transfer speculation will only grow from here.
Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian said Wednesday that Quinn Ewers, who led the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff and is returning instead of entering the 2024 NFL Draft, will be the team’s starting quarterback for the 2024 season.
So if Manning remains with the program, he’d have to ride the pine for the second consecutive season after he was the third-stringer as a freshman.
The next transfer window, a 15-day period, begins April 15.
Ewers threw for 3,479 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions as a sophomore in leading Texas to the Big 12 championship in its final season in the conference; the Longhorns enter the SEC starting next season.
Texas fell 37-31 to Washington in the CFP semifinal at the Sugar Bowl, with Ewers going 24-for-43 with 318 yards, one touchdown and zero turnovers.
“I don’t think that Quinn was a finished product yet. And I think there’s there’s plenty of room for growth and improvement in development in his game, going into year three,” Sarkisian said at a National Signing Day press conference, according to the Austin American-Statesman. “I do think his experience, his maturity are all going to be things he can benefit from.”
Manning kept his redshirt by only appearing in two games as a freshman, completing 2 of 5 passes for 30 yards.
Maalik Murphy, who was Ewers’ backup, transferred to Duke before the playoffs.
As a member of the Manning family — he is Cooper’s son and Peyton and Eli’s nephew — Arch’s recruitment received more attention than any recruit in recent memory.
And as he stares down another year not playing, fans will be waiting with bated breath to see if he will be content to sit and learn for another season or seek an opportunity to start elsewhere.
“I think Arch has got an extremely bright future. We’re very fortunate to have him on our roster. He’s got great leadership skills, got a great skill set,” Sarkisian said.
Manning admitted late in the season that not playing was difficult for him.
“There were a lot of tough days. I’m not going to lie,” Manning said. “I was never a backup in high school, so there are some days when you graduate early and you’re alone in your dorm room. You’re like, it’s just another day of fighting for a third-string job. My family, they’re supporting me. Coaches are pushing me. I’m glad I had this year to develop, learn, and grow as a person and a player.”