The Arch Manning era has officially begun in Austin after former Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers declared for the 2025 NFL Draft, and the younger QB stepped up to the plate. Now, after two years as Ewers' backup, it's time for Manning to shine under the bright lights.
A lot of blue-chip athletes wouldn't want to wait in the shadows, playing behind someone else once they step onto their new campus. However, Manning always seemed more than okay with being Ewers' understudy during the past two seasons.
His buy-in to the Texas football program and head coach Steve Sarkisian should make Longhorn fans feel extremely good about their favorite collegiate program and its future quarterback.
"He's been so good to me over the years," Manning said of Ewers. "It's probably pretty annoying having me as the backup, just with all the media stuff, be he handled it like a champ, and he was so good to me along the way."
Manning isn't pumping his own tires when he talks about the media attention he has received over the last two years or so. It's true, media members have been enthralled by the "nepotism" quarterback since he was in high school.
Just over a year ago, when Ewers led Texas to its first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoffs, reporters flocked to Manning as Ewers sat at the presser:
This is exactly where Manning wants to be, though, and now he feels ready to take over an offense that appeared in back-to-back CFPs.
"There's nowhere else I want to be. I want to be at Texas," Manning said. "I love this place. I want to be the quarterback at the University of Texas. Sometimes it's worth the wait."
Yes, Manning has technically already started in a few games for the Horns while Ewers was sidelined with various injuries throughout the 2024-25 season. However, he was never the true starter of the program until now.