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Quinn Ewers named Texas starting QB after spring game ahead of Arch Manning

jack baer
Staff writer
·2 min read
Quinn Ewers #3 of the Texas Longhorns warms up before the Texas Football Orange-White Spring Football Game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on April 15, 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
Quinn Ewers is Texas' starting quarterback right now. (Tim Warner/Getty Images)

Texas has a starting quarterback. It's the longer-tenured former No. 1 overall recruit.

Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian named Quinn Ewers the team's starting quarterback Saturday after the sophomore led his team to a 21-10 win in the Orange-White spring game. Ewers finished the game 16-of-23 for 195 yards and one touchdown.

That touchdown was his highlight of the game:

"I thought Quinn was really efficient today," Sarkisian said after the game. "I think it's pretty clear to say that Quinn's our starting quarterback and we feel very good about that, but I don't ever want to take the stinger out of these guys that they're not competing for something."

Arch Manning, arguably the more hyped quarterback on the Texas roster, went 5-of-13 for 30 yards.

Texas starting QB battle featured Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning

Texas entered this spring with two clear candidates for the starting quarterback in Ewers and Manning, the newly arrived freshman who has been widely hailed as a generational quarterback recruit. Both Ewers and Manning were the No. 1 overall recruit in their classes, according to Rivals. Also in the mix was 2022 four-star recruit Maalik Murphy.

A player in Ewers' position would normally be all but guaranteed the top job, but the hype surrounding Manning and Ewers' up-and-down freshman season last year added intrigue. Ewers, who transferred in from Ohio State last offseason, threw for 2,177 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2022 while completing 58.1% of his attempts. Texas finished the season 8-5.

"Obviously, I didn't like where I was at last year and something had to change if I wanted to end up where I want to be in the future," Ewers said. "I'm starting right here. I'm eating a lot better. I'm doing all the small things a lot harder, and I'm excited."

Manning got the most attention Saturday, which offered Longhorns fans their first opportunity to see him in action in a Texas uniform. He played for the Orange team taking snaps behind Murphy, while Ewers started for the White team.

Manning had his misses, but left plenty of reason for optimism:

As a redshirt sophomore, Ewers is eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft and could end up there with a strong season in 2023. That would clear the way for Manning to take the job in 2024, though he could take it sooner if Ewers struggles.