How much will college football’s most famous backup QB, Arch Manning, play for Texas in 2024?

In the latest episode of “Fansville”, Deputy Quinn Ewers is asked to call for backup, but resists. After a brief conversation with his fellow officer, the third-year starting quarterback for Texas delivers the punch line.

“We don’t need a backup, even though he has great hair and famous family members,” Ewers said.

The Arch Manning reference is both a funny moment and a clever bit of writing in Ewers’ national Dr Pepper commercial. But it also hints at the unique dynamic in Texas. Ewers, the former No. 1 recruit in America, is one of the most recognizable names in sports, a Heisman Trophy candidate who led the Longhorns to last year’s College Football Playoff.

Still, Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, grandson of Archie Manning and son of Cooper, is still big, at least figuratively, because of those famous relatives and Arch’s lofty recruiting status (he was also the No. 1 recruit in his class). That Arch has appeared in two games and attempted just five passes in his Longhorns career, yet still gets a nod and a nod in the starting quarterback’s ad, underscores the intrigue surrounding him.

But 19 months into his college career, we’ve only seen 27 snaps of Arch in game, which only adds to the fascination (fans love the backup quarterback, right?). How much will we see of the redshirt freshman in 2024?

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Manning remains patient

One of the first questions casual observers ask about Manning is whether he has considered transferring, since he has not started yet. So far, Manning has given no indication that is in the cards.

It’s fair to wonder, because transfer quarterbacks have become the norm. Of the 68 power conference teams, 43 are expected to start transfers this season, according to Yahoo Sportsa percentage of 63 percent.

But when asked in December before the Sugar Bowl if he considered making a move while being ranked third most of the season, Manning said no.

“I haven’t looked at transferring at all,” he said at the time. “I’m just focused on developing and helping this team in whatever way I can. And hopefully one day I’ll play for the University of Texas like I’ve always wanted to.”

This summer at the Manning Passing Academy, he reiterated his desire to stay in Austin, but he acknowledged the difficulty of remaining patient.

“It’s tough because you want to play there with your guys,” Manning said in July. “But (it came down to) me realizing I didn’t want to be anywhere else, and my dream was to play in Texas. I’m going to stick with it and eventually play there.”

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Manning and his family put a lot of time and care into the recruiting process. Arch knew what he was getting into with Ewers already at Texas. The chance to develop under Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, who has a long track record of coaching successful quarterbacks, was important to Manning.

Sarkisian’s students include former USC quarterbacks Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Mark Sanchez, former Washington quarterback Jake Locker and former Alabama quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones.

“Part of your recruiting is your track record,” Sarkisian said at SEC media days. “We’ve been fortunate to coach some pretty good quarterbacks. We’ve been fortunate to do that for a number of decades. We’ve been fortunate to have some really good quarterback rooms, and I think the Manning family is well aware of that.

“I think they’ve trained Arch to put himself in the best position to try to play in the best conference in America and ultimately put himself in the best position to further his career by playing in the National Football League.”

Sarkisian believes that Manning’s decision to wait wasn’t too difficult, thanks to that plan.

“I think Arch’s development has been important to the family, and he’s reaping the benefits of it,” Sarkisian said. “It hasn’t been that hard at all. I think it’s been pretty easy for him.”

During Texas’ spring game, Arch Manning completed 19 of 25 passes for 355 yards and three touchdowns. (Sara Diggins/USA Today)

Ewers is anchored as the starter

In 2024, there’s no question who Texas’ QB1 is, and there shouldn’t be. Ewers, who bypassed the NFL Draft to return for one more season, took big steps forward in 2023. He improved significantly in most major statistical categories, including completion percentage (58.1 to 69 percent), passing yards (2,177 to 3,479), touchdowns (15 to 22), yards per attempt (7.4 to 8.8) and passer rating (132.6 to 158.6). He also became more consistent.

This year, he’s starting to look like a leader. Sarkisian said in July that while his physical development and progression have been great, he’s more excited about Ewers’ personal and emotional development.

“That’s given everyone in our building a lot of confidence,” Sarkisian said. “He walks into that building like he’s the starting quarterback at the University of Texas for a top-five football team, and I think that carries over into our locker room. …

“Do I want more touchdowns, less interceptions, a higher completion percentage? Of course. But I think those things are a byproduct of his preparation, a byproduct of the confidence he exudes and the way he goes about his business.”

History shows that the Longhorns will need Arch at some point

In each of Sarkisian’s three seasons, he’s had to rely on his backup quarterback. In 2021, he benched Hudson Card for Casey Thompson two weeks into the season, but he ended up needing both of them late in the season due to injuries.

In 2022, Ewers missed three games with an injury and missed two more last year. With this season potentially extended by the 12-team Playoff, it stands to reason the Longhorns will have to move on to Manning at some point.

“I have every confidence that Arch, if he comes into the competition, will perform at a high level,” Sarkisian said Thursday.

There is excitement surrounding Manning’s development

Last season was a learning experience for Manning. After his entire high school career, sitting on the bench as QB3 was a challenge, especially in his first few months on campus.

“There were a lot of tough days. I’m not going to lie,” Manning said in December. “I was never a reserve in high school. There are days when you graduate early, you’re sitting in your dorm room by yourself and you think, ‘It’s just another day of fighting for the third-string job.'”

Things clearly moved quickly for Manning in his first spring game. By the time he made his college debut against Texas Tech, there were flashes of his athleticism and arm talent. But there was still some freshman nerves when he dropped a shotgun snap.

This spring, he showed significant growth. Manning shined in the Orange and White game, looking comfortable, confident and in control as he threw for 355 yards and three touchdowns. He was accurate with four of his seven incompletions hitting receivers’ hands.

With Texas’ 2023 backup Maalik Murphy transferring to Duke, Manning is the clear No. 2 quarterback. Sarkisian said Manning has taken a big step forward in his development as the Longhorns head into the 2024 season.

“I would probably say he’s light years ahead of where he was last year at this point,” Sarkisian said Thursday. “His understanding of what we’re trying to do offensively, the nuances of the scheme, the timing of certain throws, the protection, all of those things. And I just think his overall comfort level and confidence is much higher than he was a year ago at this point.”

On Monday, Sarkisian said he wants to play a lot of players early in the season as Texas develops depth for a season they hope to extend into mid-January. “If you’re in the two-deep, you’re playing in the first half,” Sarkisian said.

Does this mean Manning will play in the first half against Colorado State on Saturday?

“We’ll find out,” Sarkisian said.

(Photo: Tim Warner/Getty Images)