Arch Manning seems determined to bring Texas a QB controversy

Quinn Ewers was unable to return for the Texas Longhorns’ SEC debut in Week 5 against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. That meant starting No. 2 for redshirt freshman Arch Manning, who posted a 51-3 win over UL Monroe the week before.

Texas entered Saturday’s SEC affair 4-0 and ranked first overall in the AP Poll. It was a dominant campaign for the Longhorns, highlighted by a Week 2 win over the reigning champions from Ann Arbor. There’s still a lot of football left to play, but if we’re going to pick the favorites to win it all now, Texas has to finish at the top of that list.

Before his injury, Ewers was on the short list of true Heisman candidates and was considered a potential No. 1 draft pick. He’s still the latter — Ewers could easily outdo his peers in pre-draft workouts — but Heisman feels out of reach after several weeks of inaction. However, that shouldn’t detract from the simple fact that Ewers is an exceptional football player. The senior is Texas’ starting quarterback for a reason and would start for the vast majority of college football teams.

Why is the “QB controversy” still being talked about in Austin? Well, because we keep seeing flashes like this from Arch Manning.

The last few starts haven’t been perfect for Manning. He threw two interceptions against UL Monroe and looked shaky out of the gate before stabilizing as the game (and Texas’ lead) progressed. Mississippi State presented a much greater challenge that Manning met with flying colors. He’s still susceptible to the stumbles you’d expect from a freshman quarterback in a Power Five competition, but in terms of raw talent and long-term potential, there are few (if any) QBs in Manning’s realm. Perspectives.

He’ll be added to draft boards sooner or later, but right now Texas faces a difficult decision.

The Longhorns can hold on to Manning’s pretty hot and clearly effective hand and work toward a potentially successful future. Manning has said he wants to spend four years at Texas, meaning he will be the Longhorns’ starting QB for two full seasons – 2025 and 2026 – before turning pro. The more reps he gets now, the sharper Manning should be across the board.

Or Texas can reinstate Ewers once he gets back, which Steve Sarkisian almost certainly intends to do. Despite his talent, Arch is still a newbie learning the ropes. Ewers has been to the area several times. He has played in the postseason and competed at the highest levels of college football. We haven’t really seen Arch in a high-stakes environment yet. Mississippi State is fun, but it has SEC matchups on the schedule that will put this softball to shame early in the season.

Ewers is the safer, more experienced option and he is very talented in his own right. It’s fun to see Manning escape the pressure and throw bombs on the sideline, but he’s still waiting for his turn. The desire to make the case for Manning as QB1 is understandable, and Texas would still be at the top of college football if Manning was the full-time QB, but we can’t let enthusiasm override logic. Ewers is the man in Texas until the end of the season.

Still, we should appreciate Arch while he’s out there. Let it serve as a tantalizing preview of what next season has in store.