Coming into this season, the Texas Longhorns QB room was a focal point as two stars competed for the starting job. Coach Steve Sarkisian clearly named Quinn Ewers as the starter for the year and explained Arch Manning would take over in 2025. However, as Texas prepares for their final home game on the SEC schedule, Sarkisian answered a question in ambiguous manner, casting doubts on Ewers’ future and Manning’s rise.
The Longhorns boast a 9-1 record (5-1 in league play) and are looking as favorites to win the SEC Championship, however, they must first take care of their remaining matchups: against Kentucky and Texas A&M. What seemed as a relatively calm week of preparation for Saturday’s game, took an unexpected turn as Sarkisian gave a suspenseful answer to a question on Ewers’ stay in The Forty Acres.
During his Monday press conference, Sarkisian was asked whether the upcoming game against the Wildcats at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium would be Quinn’s last home college football game. “No idea,” Steve Sarkisian shockingly answered, via InsideTexas.
Perhaps Sarkisian’s answer was intended to show the team is focused on the collective goal and not whether their QB is declaring for the NFL Draft or staying for another NCAA season. However, Sarkisian could’ve offered some further explanation, but elected not to.
Could Ewers stay for another season with the Longhorns?
It always seemed out of the question. Ewers entered this season as a Heisman candidate and was almost guaranteed to be among the top QB prospects heading into the NFL Draft. However, he has yet to declare for it. Ewers missed some games this season after sustaining an abdominal injury, so he may be trending towards playing a full-season before entering the NFL.
Moreover, Ewers redshirted his first college season with the Ohio State Buckeyes before transferring to Texas. Therefore, the 21-year-old could take advantage of this and stay in school for another year.
How does it affect Manning?
It may mean bad news for Arch Manning, as he has endured the QB2 role for the 2024 season with the promise of becoming the main guy in Texas’ offense in 2025. Though Arch and his iconic football family are known for their honour and respect for the coaching decisions, this could be a breaking point in Manning’s stay in Austin.
Fans were also taken by surprise by Sark’s comment. Everybody in the burnt orange nation is anxious for Manning to take on the starting job next season, as they’ve actively called for him to be under center whenever Ewers struggled this season.
These next days will be pivotal to learn about Ewers’ standpoint and Manning’s, too. Whether Sarkisian’s answer had some background to it or was just a reflexive response to a matter he hadn’t put much thought into.