Arch Manning vs. Quinn Ewers: Texas Coach Sarkisian Won’t Pick QB1 - And Won’t ‘Worry'
One practice into spring football for the Texas Longhorns and Steve Sarkisian isn't messing around when it comes to announcing starters. Every position as of Monday morning is "up for grabs," according to the third-year Longhorns' coach.
And yes, that includes quarterback. Quinn Ewers won't be handed the title of QB1 for a second year.
Arch Manning won't be granted the starting nod based on name, either.
"I'm not worried about who's going to be on the cover of what magazine next week," Sarkisian told reporters Monday. "I'm more focused on is, is each guy focusing on what they need to do to develop to be the best player that they can be? Quinn has an entire year of a head start, but I don't want to hold Arch back. I want to see how far he can take this thing and what it can look like."
Ewers took over for Hudson Card and Casey Thompson after spending a season at Ohio State. For the most part, his results were mixed. A 289-yard, four-touchdown performance against Oklahoma in the Red River Showdown was met by a three-interception game against Oklahoma State three weeks later.
Still, Ewers has experience. He also could just need another season to work in Sarkisian's offense before all the pieces come together. Last season, he was named Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year after throwing for 2,177 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions in 10 games.
Against Washington in the Alamo Bowl, Ewers looked to have that "it" factor, completing 31-of-47 passes for 369 yards and a TD.
"Quinn had a good winter," Sarkisian said. "There's a lot on his mind. The gears were moving, but there was no WD-40 in there. Those gears were grinding. It felt that way for him pretty much all year long."
Much like WD-40 on an old hinge, something needs to get the offense moving. Sarkisian knows this, primarily in the passing game. Last season, Texas finished sixth among Big 12 teams in touchdowns (22), seventh in passing yards (241.4 yards per game), and seventh in completion percentage (61.2).
The spotlight is on Ewers, good, bad or indifferent. It should be. Coming out of Southlake Carroll, Ewers was considered a "perfect" prospect, grading out with a near-100 percent on all recruiting platforms thanks to his attributes on display for the Dragons.
So far, the attributes have only come in mixed forms. Now, Ewers looks ready to turn the corner in 2023. This offseason, the Dallas native made headlines when he cut his trademark mullet for a more proper feel.
Sarkisian said that while a haircut and beard trim will look nice for photo shoots, that hasn't changed Ewers' persona on football.
"It's never been a question of him taking this seriously," Sarkisian said. "He wants to be really good. He wants to be a leader on this team. He wants to win a championship with these guys. And that doesn't change what he does day to day, but appearance is what it is. And so I do think him recognizing that shows some maturity."
As for Manning, the expectation is that he'll be ready to take over for Ewers as the Longhorns' starter when Texas makes the jump into the SEC come 2024. Then again, Manning enrolled early to compete, not stand on the sidelines and hold a clipboard.
Sarkisian said that the similarities between Ewers and Manning are uncanny in terms of social media. Ewers was dubbed the "can't-miss" guy before he took a snap on campus. Manning was paraded on social media for months prior to the start of the spring practice.
There's much to love about Manning's upside, but Sarkisian cautioned folks to temper their expectations. After all, despite the name recognition, Manning should still be a high school senior entering Day 2 of practice.
"There are some plays for sure that he would love to have back," Sarkisian said. "There are some other plays that he made where I think everybody was like, 'Wow, that was a heck of a play.' But he brings a worker's mentality and he wants to be really good at this game."
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