Arch Manning's second season as backup could prove beneficial, Texas QB Quinn Ewers says
Arch Manning is no typical backup quarterback.
He is Peyton Manning and Eli Manning's nephew and the grandson of former New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning. But, the former highly touted high school football recruit saw a limited amount of playing time during his freshman season at Texas with Quinn Ewers handling the starting quarterback duties.
Ewers did miss a couple of games last season with a shoulder injury, but Maalik Murphy stepped in during his absence. Murphy transferred to Duke in January.
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Ewers helped lift the Texas Longhorns to the College Football Playoff last season. He is now slated to be the starting signal caller once again when the Longhorns kick off the 2024 season, which will be the team's first season in the Southeastern Conference.
Meanwhile, Manning will spend another season serving as the backup quarterback.
ARCH MANNING THROWS PAIR OF 75-YARD TOUCHDOWN PASSES AS HE PUTS ON SHOW AT TEXAS' SPRING GAME
Manning did have a strong showing during the Longhorns spring game, finishing the day with 355 passing yards and three touchdowns. But, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian previously made it clear that there would not be an open quarterback competition this offseason and Ewers would remain the starter.
"Quinn’s our starter," Sarkisian said in February.
Ewers believes that Manning sitting for a second consecutive year could ultimately be a good thing.
"I think that he [Manning] gains a lot," Ewers told Robert Griffin III during a recent episode of "RG3 and The Ones" podcast. "Not being from the state and coming in, and it’s obviously a little different. I think he’s got more time to grow his pride and love for the university. Obviously, he loves the university and loves the Longhorns, but kind of being able to sit back and watch, I think it’s different than playing. So him seeing what’s going on from inside, but also outside, I think that he can get a lot of intel from that."
Ewers also expressed his belief that being the second quarterback on the depth chart would give Manning more time to get comfortable with the offensive system.
"And then, obviously, another year to learn the offense and just get more comfortable within the smaller details. It’s the best situation for him, I think."
During the SEC Spring meetings in May, Sarkisian did note that he was hopeful Manning could see some game action in the early portion of the upcoming season.
"Hopefully, we can find some opportunities early in the season where we can get Arch some valuable experience, and even Trey for that matter just to get them comfortable playing," Sarkisian said on May 28.
The Longhorns host the Colorado State Rams on Aug. 31 to open the 2024 regular season.
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