Barring unforeseen circumstance or injury, Arch Manning will not be the starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns in 2024. The soon-to-be redshirt freshman will serve as the backup.
He is not going to transfer.
Manning’s role for next season became official on Thursday when Quinn Ewers took a break from bagging big bucks to declare his intentions for the future. Texas’ incumbent starting quarterback is not entering the NFL Draft pool and will return to Austin for his fourth year of college football.
This is not earth-shattering news. It has been expected that Ewers would hold off on turning pro after dealing with injuries throughout his second season while leading the Texas Longhorns to the College Football Playoff.
However, there will certainly be a lot of chatter surrounding his future successor as a result. Manning, who was not ready to step into a QB1 role on the ‘P5 conference’ level upon arrival to campus last January, showed tremendous growth throughout the year. He looked much improved during his late-season appearances and added significant weight over the last 12 months.
If Steve Sarkisian had to hand over the keys to Manning, the head coach would be comfortable doing so. However, allowing him to sit another year and continue to develop will be really beneficial.
Especially when Quinn Ewers has proved himself to be one of the elite signal-callers in the sport.
There is unfinished business in Austin. Ewers will be at the helm as Texas tries to win two more games to finish the 2024 season.
Arch Manning will be the backup.
Patience is something for which the Manning family is familiar. Uncle Eli did not start until year three at Ole Miss and went on to become the No. 1 overall pick after five years in Oxford.
Arch Manning is slated to follow a similar path. He is slated to start in year three.
Archie, his grandfather, thinks that is the best way to go about it.
Eli had what I think is the best course. He redshirt his first year, was a backup in his second year, and then started in his third year.
— Archie Manning, via The Spun
Now, there is an additional wrinkle here that could make things wonky next offseason.
Ewers has two years of eligibility remaining: 2024 and 2025. If he decides to run it back again after next season, Manning’s situation could change.
As of right now, the former five-star, No. 1 overall recruit is content sitting behind a fellow five-star, No. 1 overall recruit for one more season. He’s not going to leave.