Steve Sarkisian lauds Quinn Ewers, Arch Manning for their progress ahead of spring drills
The Texas football team will begin spring drills on March 19 with a bit of a conundrum, but it’s a problem that every squad in the country would happily deal with.
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The Longhorns have one of the best returning quarterbacks in college football, junior Quinn Ewers, leading the team into its first year in the Southeastern Conference, and one of the top-rated backups, freshman Arch Manning, waiting in the wings.
It’s a feast of riches for Texas, which went 12-2 in 2023 and played in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff. And while last year’s quarterback room for the Longhorns was considered to be one of the best in the nation, a year’s added experience for both Ewers and Manning, plus the addition of incoming freshman Trey Owens might make this season’s group even stronger.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, meeting with the media for his Signing Day press conference on Wednesday, lauded Ewers for his progress last season and talked about how he sees the quarterback position as the team prepares for its 15 allotted practices in spring drills.
“(Last season) was big for Quinn,” Sarkisian said. “I think it was pretty easy to see from the naked eye the development that Quinn made from year one to year two. I don’t think that Quinn is a finished product yet – there’s plenty of room for growth and improvement in development in his game going into year three.”
Sarkisian said Ewers’ experience and his maturity are going to be things that the quarterback and the entire team can benefit from.
“We’re going to need his leadership,” Sarkisian explained. “We’ve got some new faces on the offensive side of the ball, especially at the skill positions, where his leadership is going to be very important.”
Ewers will be assuming the real “face” of Longhorn football this season after the team lost several of its team leaders and “spokesmen” from the past two seasons.
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“A lot of the faces and a lot of the names we’ve been talking about for a few years have moved on,” Sarkisian said. “And so Ewers kind of taking those reins and understanding that that is going to be big,”
Sarkisian told the press that Manning is continuing on the path that he’s been on since he hit the 40 Acres at this time last year.
“I referenced it last year, kind of middle of the season, about the growth that Arch really started to take in the second half of the season, all the way up until the Sugar Bowl,” Sarkisian added.
“So again, at the quarterback position, I just don’t want to hurry up and get a guy on the field. I want to make sure when he gets on the field and that he plays great football, and that’s a little easier to do as you get into year four of your program as opposed to year one and you are trying to get the best guy out there to give yourself a chance.
“But I think Arch has got an extremely bright future. We’re very fortunate to have him on our roster. He’s got great leadership skills, got a great skill set. So those two guys are going to be big for us. Right now Quinn is our starting quarterback.”
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The Longhorns’ Orange-White Game that finishes spring drills is set for April 20.
