Steve Sarkisian breaks down decision timeline for 'QB2' between Maalik Murphy, Arch Manning

Quinn Ewers is the starter for Texas, but will Maalik Murphy or Arch Manning be his primary backup on Saturday? Steve Sarkisian gave an intriguing answer to that question during his game week press conference.

Manning, of course, was the top recruit in the Class of 2023. Heck, some fans wanted him to go right away. But at the college level, Manning needed to get acclimated and Murphy wasn’t going to give up his position without a fight.

Sarkisian has yet to make the “QB2” decision yet, but both guys are up for the challenge.

“I think I think one of the cool things about pretty much every position group that you talked about, that’s why we practice throughout the week and that’s why they come with a real intent to work every day,” Sarkisian said Monday.

“Maalik and Arch right now, you know they’re both doing well and so you know, who do we feel like come Thursday is the guy that kind of earned that opportunity to be the backup this week? That’ll be who the backup is.”

Sarkisian likened the battle between Murphy and Manning to other positions on the roster. It’s all about guys showing who is ready to.

“The running back position is the same, we got a lot of information to still take in here these first few ballgames,” Sarkisian said. “And so that’s kind of how that position is gonna go and the corner position really too. Like I said, we’ve got four corners we feel comfortable with in Ryan (Watts) and Gavin (Holmes), Malik (Muhammad), and then Terrance (Brooks). 

“And so for them to show us throughout the week that they’re ready to go and who’s ready to play, then we can decide and make those tough calls later in the week.”

As a member of the Class of 2023, Manning was a five-star recruit out of New Orleans (La.) Isidore Newman, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 1 overall prospect in the state, the No. 1 quarterback in the class and the No. 1 overall prospect in the class.

Murphy has one more year of college experience than Manning, but did not throw a pass last season. The redshirt freshman was no slouch as a recruit either.

As a member of the Class of 2022, Murphy was a four-star recruit out of Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 15 overall prospect in the state, the No. 12 quarterback in the class and the No. 205 overall prospect in the class.