Joel Klatt: Arch Manning went to Texas 'to sit a year'

As Quinn Ewers settles in for his second year as the starting quarterback at Texas, there’s still plenty of attention on the rest of the room. Maalik Murphy appears set to back up Ewers, leaving Arch Manning to be QB3.

According to FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt, that indeed will be the case.

Klatt joined FOX’s Will Cain and shared some intel about the quarterback situation in Austin. Ewers is eligible for the NFL Draft after this season, and the expectation is he’ll be out of the picture in 2024. That means it’ll be Manning’s time to shine — and Klatt said that was a key factor in his decision to commit to Texas.

“Quinn’s probably going to be gone after this year because he can be. … So then it becomes a question of Maalik and Arch,” Klatt said. “Arch went there to sit a year. This notion that he might play this year, I think, is unfounded. At least, those are the conversations I’ve had behind the scenes was that part of why he picked Texas is that he didn’t have to play right away. So I think the conversation about his battle and getting on the field is a year away.”

The hype around Manning has been well-documented. He was a Five Star Plus+ recruit, meaning he was one of the only players ranked by all four major recruiting media companies as a five star. He was also the No. 1 recruit in the country from the 2022 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Although the plan might be for Arch Manning to wait in the wings to take over for Ewers, that hasn’t stopped the two from developing a bond. Ewers said they’ve gotten close, and the bond between the three quarterbacks is strong.

“Me and Arch are great buddies. I’ve known him — I got to know him pretty well in the recruiting process. We’ve only grown in our relationship. Like you said, we have a great relationship,” Ewers said at the Manning Passing Academy. “We get along well. The whole quarterback room is just such a great group of guys. No one is trying to undercut somebody or try to get ahead in certain ways. We are just a good group of guys, great buddies. We’ve been hanging out together. Those are like my best friends, the people in the quarterback room.”