Update 2:05 p.m. ET: Quinn Ewers will start for the Longhorns in their season opener against the Rice Owls in Week 1. However, if Texas builds a comfortable lead, it wouldn’t be out of the question to see freshman Arch Manning take a few snaps in the second half of the game. The Longhorns kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, and will face the Alabama Crimson Tide in Week 2.
The Texas Longhorns don’t have a true quarterback controversy heading into the 2023 college football season, but they do have an immensely talented prospect that no one can stop talking about in Arch Manning. There’s no question who the QB1 is on the Longhorns’ depth chart with the start of the season just around the corner, but what are the chances that Manning could eventually start for Texas in 2023?
Will Arch Manning start in 2023?
Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian has made it clear that Quinn Ewers will be the team’s QB1 for the 2023 season. The sophomore has been thrown into some early Heisman conversation this offseason as he comes off a 2022 campaign in which he threw for 2,177 yards and 15 touchdowns with a 132.6 passer rating. That being said, injuries or inconsistencies could throw a wrench into Ewers’ sophomore season, which theoretically could open the door for Manning.
The freshman enters the season as one of the most talked about college football prospects in recent history, but nonetheless, he sits third on the QB depth chart behind Ewers and Maalik Murphy. His immense upside could help him leapfrog the two ahead of him on the depth chart, but it’s key to remember that we’ve only seen a small sample size from him so far.
In the Longhorns’ Orange-White scrimmage, he went just 5-of-13 for 30 passing yards, highlighting that he’s still a raw prospect in development. While it’s clear that Manning is headed for great things at Texas, he’ll need ample regular season reps before he’s given the reins to the QB1 role. That, or the Longhorns’ season will need to have gone off the rails for Sarkisian to be desperate enough to throw Manning into the fire within year one.