Arch Manning might get his opportunity at Texas sooner than anyone would have expected coming into the season. “Might” is the key word here.
The five-star, No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2023 has not played a single snap so far. His freshman year will likely become his redshirt freshman year, and making sure that he does not exceed the four-game eligibility requirement is crucial.
However, an injury to Quinn Ewers completely changes the entire dynamic of the Longhorns’ quarterback room. They have a big game at home against BYU this weekend.
Maalik Murphy will make his first start on Saturday. Texas’ top NIL collective ponied up big bucks to keep him from transferring during the offseason in case of this exact scenario.
Arch Manning will serve as his backup.
Steve Sarkisian is comfortable with Murphy stepping up. As a former four-star prospect himself, the 6-foot-5, 238-pound dual-threat signal-caller was a beast in high school.
His experience on the collegiate level is very limited. Murphy is 4-of-8 for 47 yards in four games. That’s all.
Thus, if things start to go poorly for Texas on Saturday, Steve Sarkisian might give him the hook. There’s that word again!
The third-year head coach was asked about Manning’s availability for this weekend. Although he will begin the game as QB2, Sarkisian did not rule out an appearance and sees value in getting him reps.
It is something that has been discussed among the coaching staff. That decision will come later on.
God forbid that Murphy cannot finish the game due to an injury, or if Murphy goes into the locker room down by 21 at halftime, Manning is waiting. Even if he isn’t quite ready in terms of his development, there is a much higher probability that he sees time in 2023 than there was just four days ago.
There may not be another option. And with that being true, it may not hurt Sarkisian to get Manning some reps to get him comfortable before disaster strikes.
Only time will tell.