The Texas Longhorns are ready to go under head coach Steve Sarkisian, who has continued to roll with quarterback and former five-star recruit Quinn Ewers.
That said, if Texas wants to win the College Football Playoff, does it need its quarterback to make a substantial jump? And how much of a factor is Arch Manning roaming in the background?
On the latest edition of “The No. 1 College Football Show with RJ Young,” On3’s Andy Staples discussed Ewers’ 2024 outlook with host RJ Young.
“I am curious if Arch does wind up coming in, would he wind up staying in? Last year, you had Maalik [Murphy] come in, and they [Texas] almost lost to Kansas State, and that is the danger when you have a backup quarterback in the game. The year before, they had to play Hudson Card. I think they feel a lot more comfortable now if they’ve got to play Arch if Quinn gets hurt. I am curious what happens if we do get a taste of Arch. Quinn’s the one part of this whole thing that I’m not entirely sold on,” Staples said. “When I was picking the Sugar Bowl last year, I picked Washington to win because I had more faith in Michael Penix Jr. than I had in Quinn. I’m not saying Quinn’s a bad quarterback. I’m just saying the level you’ve got to play at to win a National Championship is extremely high; the bar is high. You’re going to be playing against some really good dudes.
“Is he going to take that next step? Is he going to become like a first-round draft pick at quarterback? He certainly has all the tools and the arm talent, but can he put it all together, and can he stay healthy because it hasn’t happened yet?”
Ewers has been the Longhorns’ primary quarterback the past two seasons; he transferred to Austin after spending the 2021 season at Ohio State. As alluded to, injuries have held Ewers back, as he missed three games in 2022 with a shoulder injury and two games in 2023 due to another shoulder injury.
Last season, Ewers totaled 3,479 passing yards, 22 passing touchdowns, six interceptions and a 158.6 passer rating, while completing 69.0% of his passes. He also ran for five touchdowns.
Ewers and the Longhorns went 11-1 in the regular season and then beat Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship Game, helping them secure a spot in the College Football Playoff. Washington was the end of the line for Texas in the semifinal round, though, as it lost 37-31. Texas went 8-5 the year prior, with Ewers starting 10 games.
Entering his senior season, Ewers is among the early candidates to be the first quarterback off the board in the 2025 NFL Draft, joined by Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Georgia’s Carson Beck.
RJ Young and Andy Staples discuss what to expect from Texas in the 2024 season
Meanwhile, Manning, another five-star recruit, was the Longhorns’ third-string quarterback behind Ewers and Murphy — who transferred to Duke after the regular season — in 2023. Manning threw for 355 yards and three touchdowns in the Longhorns’ spring game and is expected to back up Ewers next season.
Texas is entering its first season in the SEC. An out-of-conference matchup against the defending-champion Michigan Wolverines, a home game against the 2021 and 2022-champion Georgia Bulldogs and an in-state road battle against Texas A&M are among the noteworthy games on the Longhorns’ 2024 schedule.
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