Quarterback controversy in Austin? Not quite, but Arch Manning is reminding Texas fans the future is bright.
Manning and starter Quinn Ewers both saw the field in Saturday's blowout win over Colorado State, with Ewers playing well enough to get Manning on the field in the third quarter. Texas led 38-0 when Manning entered, and the day only got worse for the Rams once he took over.
Ewers is the face of Texas after taking the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff last season and coming one pass away from playing for a national championship. Manning, however, is a former elite recruit himself, and his time is coming soon.
Here's a look at how both Ewers and Manning performed against Colorado State.
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Quinn Ewers vs. Arch Manning stats today
| Quinn Ewers | Stat | Arch Manning |
| 20/27 | Completions/Att. | 5/6 |
| 260 | Yards | 95 |
| 3 | TD | 1 |
| 1 | INT | 0 |
| -6 | Rush yards | 0 |
| 0 | Rush TD | 1 |
Ewers played very well against the Rams, as expected. The redshirt junior is coming off a strong year with 21 touchdown passes and more than 3,000 yards, and he picked up where he left off with 260 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday.
Those are strong numbers over a full game, but Ewers posted them while only playing one drive beyond the first half.
Manning stepped in and looked comfortable, as most would with a 38-0 lead. The redshirt freshman completed his first five passes and finished 5-of-6 for 95 yards and a touchdown. Manning also added a rushing touchdown on a quarterback sneak, extending the Longhorns' lead to 52-0.
Texas unsurprisingly leaned on its running game once Manning entered, as their objective at that point was to simply run the clock down. The nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning still got the chance to flash his arm a bit, including on a 40-yard completion to Johntay Cook II.
Arch Manning rolls out and finds Johntay Cook who does some work after the catch for a 40-yard gain. pic.twitter.com/xAxn1YZ054
— CJ Vogel (@CJVogel_OTF) August 31, 2024
Manning's first career touchdown pass would come on a flip to Silas Bolden.
ARCH MANNING’s FIRST TD of his #Texas career‼️🔥‼️#ArchManning #TexasFootball #HookEm pic.twitter.com/pRfiJAcbF6
— Inside Texas (@InsideTexas) August 31, 2024
Here's what you need to know about Manning's future at Texas.
MORE: Arch Manning explains why he didn't transfer from Texas
Why isn't Arch Manning starting for Texas?
Manning was the top-ranked player in the 2023 recruiting class, but he never valued an immediate starting opportunity during his process. The Louisiana native committed to Texas knowing Ewers was locked in as the Longhorns' starter in 2023, and there was always a possibility Ewers would return to Austin in 2024 as well.
There was some speculation that Manning might transfer after Ewers made the decision to return, but that's all it was — Manning never entered the portal, and he appears to be content with sitting behind Ewers for one more year.
By sticking around, Manning has set himself up to be the starter quarterback for one of college football's most prominent programs in 2025. Texas runs the risk of losing Manning to the NFL after only one season as a starter, but in the NIL era, there is the possibility he follows Ewers' lead and takes 2026 to keep building his stock.
Manning redshirted the 2023 season, so his college eligibility runs through 2027.
