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Quinn Ewers Sounds Off On Arch Manning's Potential At Texas

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By J.C. Shelton | Last updated May 16, 2025 4:55 PM ET

Former starting quarterback Quinn Ewers has passed the torch to Arch Manning at Texas. The question remains, though, of how the former five-star will preform in the pressure-filled role.

Ewers is off to the NFL to play for the Miami Dolphins after falling to the seventh round in this year's draft. The Texas native left quite the resume as a Longhorn, leading the program to back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances as the starter.

And Ewers did so with Manning nipping at his heels. Head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff ultimately chose to go with the experience in Ewers while developing Manning's high-ceiling talent.

That isn't the case for the 2025 season, as Manning is the surefire starter. It's his turn to hold the weight of the Longhorns' postseason expectations, a challenge that Ewers believes Manning is well prepared for.

Ewers said as much when speaking on behalf of Panini America at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere in Los Angeles.

“He’s great. He’s a good kid,” Ewers said via On3. “He was definitely fun to have in the quarterback room. We’re good buddies. I’m super excited to see what he does. He’s a hard-working kid, he’s a hard studier. He’s going to set himself up to be as successful as he wants to be, and I think he’s got a chance to go do exactly that and continue on living out what we built at Texas.”

Manning showed flashes of his dual-threat talent as a redshirt freshman last season. The 6-foot-4, 22-pound passer took over for an injured Ewers in the second quarter against UTSA and started the next two games against UL Monroe and Mississippi State.

In those three games, all wins, Manning completed 69.4% of his passes for 805 yards with eight touchdowns to two interceptions while adding 86 yards rushing and two scores on the ground.

Some fans called for Sarkisian to stick with Manning after those performances, a wish that didn't come true with Ewers returning and leading the Longhorns to the playoff.

Ewers was well aware of the outside noise that Manning's name brought to the quarterback competition. It would have been easy for Ewers to think negatively about the situation, but it appears that a friendship was brewing amid the battle for playing time.

“It’s cool whenever two guys are competing for the same job, obviously, and at the end of the day, we’re just doing whatever we can do to make the team better and also remain competitive at the same time," Ewers said. "He’s definitely a friend of mine and will be for a while.”

Manning is expected to make his debut as the full-time starter when Texas visits defending national champion Ohio State to open the season. The rematch from the Cotton Bowl playoff semifinal will take place on Aug. 30.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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