Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) walks the field after the 56-7 win over UTSA at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
The college football playoffs are just a few days away, and Texas will decide between quarterbacks Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning.
Ewers is currently the starting quarterback for the Longhorns, but he hasn’t performed well the last few weeks. The last time Ewers stepped onto a football field was two weeks ago against Georgia in the SEC title game, and it didn’t go so well.
Sep 28, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) takes a photo with fans after the 35-13 victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron E. Martinez/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
The 21-year-old quarterback is also dealing with an ankle injury limiting his mobility. Backup quarterback Arch Manning has received many running packages in the past few weeks.
While Texas doesn’t seem to have a quarterback change, one college football writer thinks Arch Manning will shine this winter.
Arch Manning Could Be An X Factor
Nov 23, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up before a game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
As good as Quinn Ewers has been for this program, Arch Manning needs to see the field more. When he does—and he will—the impact is likely to be significant.
The second-year QB’s size and mobility are a threat against any opponent, and it’s the kind of threat Texas—which hasn’t looked great offensively in recent games—could really benefit from.
Manning’s presence in big moments won’t just help his team win multiple rounds of Playoff games. It will also catapult his stardom, which is already blooming, forward to next season. And he will do so in a very un-Manning fashion, with speed and strength and a bit of brute force.
Manning doesn’t need a postseason platform to see his popularity explode. We’ve known who he is and what he does for years now.
His time is coming soon enough. But it feels like a perfect moment for Manning to take that next, next step, and Texas should benefit immensely along the way.
Manning seeing any significant action during the postseason will be a shock, but there could be a case where Ewers is having an off game. Manning has to come in and save like we saw when Alabama was struggling in the 2017 title game to score points, and they pulled starter Jalen Hurts for Tua Tagovailoa and came back to win the game.
Texas is one of the heavy favorites to win the upcoming playoffs, and it will be interesting to see how they use Manning during this run.
Sep 14, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) throws a touchdown pass during the second half against the Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
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Daniel Fisher is a sports writer for Gridiron Heroics covering the NFL and College Football. He has been covering the NFL and College Football for the past two years and with a focus on the Cleveland Browns and Ohio State Buckeyes.
