Texas football head coach Steve Sarkisian named highly touted sophomore Arch Manning as the starter heading into the Longhorns Week 4 matchup with Louisiana Monroe.
Manning did not start in any games during his freshman season, and Quinn Ewers was once again named the starter entering the 2024 campaign. Manning stepped in for Ewers after the quarterback suffered an abdominal injury during Texas’ game against UTSA on Sept. 14. Sarkisian later described Ewers injury as a non-contact oblique strain. The signal caller’s status is considered day-to-day.
“Quinn has made great strides ever since Saturday night into where he’s gotten to,” Sarkisian said. “But my decision is I’m looking forward to his future as a player, but also the future of the season for us. … And getting him possibly one more week healthier for the long term, I think, is good for us as we’re getting ready for SEC play.”
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Once he took the field, Manning delivered a dazzling performance, accounting for five touchdowns en route to the Longhorns’ 56-7 victory in Austin.
After the game, Sarkisian commended Manning for stepping up.
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“It’s hard when you have a backup who doesn’t have a ton of experience. Arch was our third guy last year,” Sarkisian said, via the New York Post. “There’s nothing like being in the game. Playing in front of 105,000 people is not the easiest thing to do. I’m really proud of Arch.”
The redshirt freshman, who is the nephew of NFL greats Peyton and Eli Manning, will soon take the field for the first time in his college football career as a starting quarterback.
Manning threw four touchdowns and used his legs to score on another occasion via a 67-yard scramble. For his efforts, Manning received SEC Co-Freshman of the Week honors.
Sarkisian added that Manning always approaches a game with the mindset that he could start. However, heading into this Saturday’s game against UL Monroe, Manning will be tasked with operating the game plan from the opening series and throughout the remainder of the game.
“Arch is more than capable, as I think we all know,” Sarkisian said. “I mean, you go out and you have five touchdowns coming in off the bench, you’ve already proved you can play. Now, it’s about executing the plan, doing it with confidence and fixing some of the issues on the field when they arise.”
The Longhorns are overwhelming favorites heading into the matchup with UL Monroe. Texas jumped Georgia to take the top spot in the latest AP Top 25 rankings. The Bulldogs maintained the No. 1 overall ranking in this week’s Coaches Poll.
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