Arch Manning will be his first starter for Texas in the absence of Quinn Ewers

Manning Arch will make his first career start as a quarterback. Texas Saturday night against Monroe Universitycoach Steve Sarkisian announced Thursday.

Sarkisian said that Quinn’s showerswho suffered an abdominal strain in the Longhorns’ 56-7 win over UTSA last weekend, “has made great strides” in his recovery, but Manning is “more than capable” of replacing him.

“He has a lot of confidence from his teammates to go out and play,” Sarkisian said.

Manning, a freshman who did not play on the team, came in for Ewers in the second quarter of last week’s game and promptly scored a touchdown on his first play. He threw for 223 yards and four touchdowns, and ran for a 67-yard touchdown, which was the longest touchdown run by a Texas quarterback since Vince Young in 2005.

While Manning’s naming as the team’s starter this week isn’t a surprise, it’s still a big headline. For one thing, Texas is now the No. 1 team in the country. And for another, Manning is college football’s most famous backup. His explosive touchdown run against UTSA prompted jokes that he hadn’t inherited his speed from his uncles, Peyton and Eli, but from his grandfather, Archie.

Sarkisian told reporters Thursday that Ewers will wear a headset on the sideline and will be fully engaged and supportive of Manning. He said backup quarterback Trey Owens, who got playing time last week, will be a backup.

Sarkisian also said that even though Ewers won’t be able to play this week, all of his goals remain. That includes leading the Longhorns to a national championship, winning the Heisman Trophy and being a top pick in the NFL Draft.

“The fact that he’s not playing this game this Saturday is not going to affect the things that I know are goals that we’ve set for him and that he’s working toward,” Sarkisian said.

This is the third consecutive season Ewers has been injured. He missed three games in 2022 with a collarbone injury and two games in 2023 with a sprained AC joint.

Texas hopes to have Ewers back next week before its SEC opener against Mississippi State. But in the meantime, this is a big opportunity for Manning. Sarkisian has said before that Manning prepares every week as if he were the starter. This will also serve as important experience for Manning going forward.

“I know he’ll be more than ready to go out and play football at a high level for us,” Sarkisian said.

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.

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