Texas Longhorns Backup QB Battle Still Ongoing

As many know, the Texas Longhorns have felt pretty confident in their backup quarterback situation over the past few years.

Current Oregon State Beavers quarterback Maalik Murphy served as the primary backup in 2023, and redshirt sophomore Arch Manning spent both 2023 and 2024 learning from Quinn Ewers and waiting for his turn to pilot this team.

2025 will be the year Manning finally receives this opportunity, but one question still remains: Who will be the new backup?

The Three Options

While the Longhorns have a few solid options in terms of quarterbacks, Sarkisian disclosed that they haven’t made a decision regarding who will earn the title of backup to Manning.

"We don't have a backup quarterback yet," Sarkisian told Horns247 at SEC Media Days.

However, the three names vying for the role of backup signal caller read as follows: senior Matthew Caldwell, redshirt freshman Trey Owens and freshman Karle “KJ” Lacey. 

Caldwell joined Texas in June as a transfer from Troy, where he started the final games of the season and helped his team accumulate a record of 3-2. During his 2024 season at Troy, he completed 141-of-223 passes for 1,608 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also rushed for five touchdowns. 

The next contender for the backup spot is Owens, a four-star recruit from Cypress, Texas. Owens appeared in Texas’ games against both UTSA and ULM last season but ultimately redshirted for a year to preserve his college eligibility.

247Sports ranked Owens as the No. 16 quarterback in his recruiting class, and he was an All-America and two-time all-district honoree in high school. Additionally, he earned a spot to participate in the 2023 U.S. Army Bowl and the 2024 All-American Bowl. 

Although he has less collegiate experience than Caldwell, he has been with the Longhorns for a year longer and has had the opportunity to familiarize himself with the system and personnel.

Lacey, a true freshman from Saraland, Alabama, serves as the Longhorns’ third option. Just like Owens, Lacey earned the status of being a four-star recruit out of high school, and 247Sports ranked him as the No. 19 quarterback in his class. 

Standing at 6-feet tall on the nose, Lacey is on the smaller side, but 247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins said that he “gets the ball out fast and can change arm angles to create throwing windows.”

Since he hasn’t yet acquired any game exposure in college, his level of experience ranks last out of the three prospects. 

With the season just over a month away, Sarkisian and his offensive coaching staff will likely determine where each of these quarterbacks stand in the weeks to come.