Steve Sarkisian describes the feeling around Quinn Ewers, Arch Manning entering 2024 season

Two high-profile quarterbacks are in Austin this spring. Although Steve Sarkisian has named Quinn Ewers the Texas starter, plenty of questions are there regarding the development of Arch Manning. He is entering his second season with the Longhorns and will have a bigger role in 2024 despite still being the backup.

Everything with Ewers and Manning is about development for Sarkisian. Both are in different places, with one entering his third year as a starter and the other coming off a freshman season with one appearance. If there is anything the duo have in common, Sarkisian says both are more comfortable.

“Both guys are doing really well,” Sarkisian said. “You can feel Year Three Quinn. You can feel Year Two Arch. Just kind of the operation of it. The anxiety lessens year to year of ‘What are we doing next? What does this look like?’…

“They’re both doing a really nice job. They’re both in a phase in their progression systematically but also maturity of players that have been in the program.”

Sarkisian has confidence in his quarterbacks, particularly Ewers. Not many programs have a three-year starter at their disposal, especially one already with a conference championship and College Football Playoff appearance under their belt.

And if Ewers were to go down, Manning has been in the system for one season after being the No. 1 recruit in the country per the On3 Industry Rankings.

The Texas offense is going to look different in 2024, though. Ewers will be without his five leading receivers from a year ago as all are now preparing for the NFL Draft. While some familiar faces return at running back and tight end, the expected wide receiver room contributors are basically brand new.

How Ewers integrates them into the system will be key for the Longhorns. Sarkisian will be relying on him as the experienced star in the offense — compared to last year when Adonai Mitchell, Jordan Whittington, and Xavier Worthy had a combined eight seasons of college ball under their belt.

“Their command is going to be really important,” Sarkisian said. “It’s not just what they know, it’s not just their ability to function. It’s about making sure the guys around them are in the right frame of mind and have the right knowledge to perform with them. Because you can’t rely on the experience of some of the guys we had a year ago.

“So, that’s the challenge. The better they are around the quarterback, the better the quarterback is,” Sarkisian said.