Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers is injured after taking a brutal against Houston last Saturday, and the Big 12 star will be out for a bit as he recovers. But does that mean football royalty scion Arch Manning will get to play a game for UT this season? The ‘Horns take on the BYU Cougars at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN today, and Texas is a 20.5-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook.
According to Pete Thamel of ESPN on College Gameday, Ewers will be out for 2-4 weeks as his shoulder heals from a Grade 2 AC joint sprain. Redshirt freshman Maalik Murphy will get the start for the Longhorns today, and his skill set as a dual threat keeps the continuity of the offense much more than bringing in the pocket passer in Manning.
But don’t be surprised if Manning gets his chance, and not just in case of injury either. Under recent NCAA legislation players can still participate in four football games a season and still keep their redshirt season, so if Manning were to get on the field during Ewers injury he’d still have four full seasons to play in Austin between 2024-27. And it might not be a bad idea to give some time to a player that would seem a prime candidate for either a transfer or the NFL Draft long before that window of time is a factor.
Of course of Murphy is injured, Manning should be the first on the field and this discussion is academic. If at that point he’s still not under center, it might be time to question how long the nephew of both Tennessee and Ole Miss legends would be at his new SEC school anyway.