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ARLINGTON, Texas — Four years ago, Quinn Ewers was that guy. He was the No. 1 recruit, the first perfectly graded quarterback in the 247Sports Composite since Vince Young. His initial decommitment from Texas in 2020 as a high school recruit portended the end of the Tom Herman era.
But Ewers later kick-started the Steve Sarkisian era. Since transferring to Texas from Ohio State as a redshirt freshman in 2022, Ewers is 21-5 as a starter in two seasons. By any measure, Ewers brought Texas “back” to national contention. The Longhorns earned trips to the national semifinals in consecutive seasons and were one play away each time from playing for a national championship.
“I’m super proud of Quinn,” Sarkisian said. “He’s taught me a lot because of what he went through. I don’t know if he could ever live up to the standard of what everybody thinks he’s supposed to be.”
With a 28-14 loss in the Cotton Bowl to Ohio State (Ewers’ former team), the brilliant but sometimes backbreaking Ewers era at Texas is effectively over. The Arch Manning era is here, and if expectations for Texas quarterbacks were high before, they’re about to leave the stratosphere.
Ewers has not officially declared for the NFL Draft. He told ESPN that he does not anticipate playing college football next season, though Carson Beck declared for the draft before transferring from Georgia to Miami. But if Ewers is playing college football next season, it won’t be at the University of Texas. It’s Manning time.
Manning was the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2023, making Texas the first program to ever have two No. 1 quarterbacks on campus. The son of Cooper, nephew of Peyton and Eli, and grandson of Archie was pursued heavily by every school in the country. He ultimately decided to join Sarkisian in Austin with the opportunity to lead Texas into the SEC.
When Ewers opted to return for the 2024 season, Manning stuck around. There were never even rumors of Manning transferring. He was content sitting for two years and waiting his turn, a rare trait for an elite quarterback in 2025. Out of the top 10 quarterbacks in his recruiting class, six have already transferred. Out of the four who haven’t, Clemson’s Christopher Vizzina joins Manning as the only one yet to hold the full time starting job.
That’s not to say that Manning didn’t impact Texas. When Ewers went out midseason with an oblique strain, Manning stepped into the lineup. He obliterated UTSA with five touchdowns on 15 touches. In the SEC opener against Mississippi State, he threw for 325 yards and two touchdowns. In the waning weeks of the season, Sarkisian installed an Arch package to use in the red zone and short-yardage situations. He even converted a fourth down against Ohio State.
In his limited action, Manning flashed the immense upside and a few skills that already ranked among the elite in college football. His deep ball accuracy made for some incredible highlights. Manning also excelled as a runner, a skill that could have been useful next to a wildly inconsistent running game.
Because of these flashes, fans often clamored for Manning to unseat Ewers. Sarkisian held firm. Even when Texas was held scoreless for the first 29 minutes of game time against Ohio State, Ewers stayed in the game. Sarkisian’s decisiveness proved vital, and the team responded to Ewers’ leadership.
“I feel like he’s been one of the biggest leaders since I’ve been here,” linebacker Anthony Hill told CBS Sports. “I’m just grateful for him.”
And for all the talk of Manning’s explosive performances, he looked the part of a freshman at times, too. In his first career start against ULM, Manning completed only 51.7% of his passes and threw two interceptions. The Warhawks are a strong defense in the Sun Belt and managed to cause Manning issues.
During Texas’s lone regular-season loss against Georgia, Ewers was briefly benched. Manning entered the game. He threw for only 19 yards on six pass attempts, was sacked twice and coughed up a fumble as Texas went into halftime trailing 23-0. Ewers came back in the third quarter with a clear head and led a 15-point flurry.
In the Peach Bowl against Arizona State, Ewers faced fourth-and-13 in overtime. A failed conversion would have ended his career. As only a veteran quarterback could do, Ewers changed the offense’s look and delivered a season-saving strike to receiver Matthew Golden.
“There were some moving parts where Quinn had to change the protection on the play,” Sarkisian said after the Peach Bowl. “Even after that, there were some intricacies to handle the pressure the way it was coming inside. There were layers to the whole thing.”
In the final four, each team boasted quarterbacks with major starting experience. Penn State’s Drew Allar was the youngest as a second-year starter. Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard and Ohio State’s Will Howard have started for most of three seasons, like Ewers. Last season, Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. were also extremely experienced players. There’s a reason coaches lean on experience. It’s invaluable.
And around Manning, plenty on the Texas offense could change. The Longhorns could lose four offensive linemen to the 2025 NFL Draft, along with star tight end Gunner Helm. Top receivers Matthew Golden and Isaiah Bond could also test their draft stock. That doesn’t even get into a sensational defense set to lose much of its front and back end.
Of course, Manning is special. Even in flashes, we’ve seen it. The willingness to wait his turn and develop only underscores the maturity and decision making he brings to the table, despite his famous last name — or maybe thanks to it.
“In addition to possessing all the physical tools desired at the quarterback position, Manning plays the game with exceptional intuition and awareness, showing the ability to command and navigate the game at a very high level,” 247Sports director of scouting Cooper Petagna wrote of Manning in 2022.
If Manning is the quarterback that is promised, he has the potential to lead Texas to the promised land for only the second time in the last 50 years. That’s the new bar. That’s the new expectation. If expectations for Ewers were tough, Manning had better be ready for his spotlight.
Ewers was the face of the first Sarkisian era. After the Cotton Bowl, it’s over. Now, it’s time to see whether Manning is up to the challenge.
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