Texas may be leaving the Big 12 for the SEC after this season, but the Longhorns are giving their conference rivals one final parting gift: a quarterback controversy at which to rubberneck.
Well, sort of.
Quinn Ewers has been the presumptive starter since April—coach Steve Sarkisian called his status “pretty clear”—but questions already are swirling around how long Texas can keep early enrollee Arch Manning on the bench.
To wit, an anonymous Big 12 assistant coach believes a switch will take place in Austin sooner rather than later, according to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg.
“Last year, (Texas was) really solid at running back, so you don’t put a lot of pressure on your quarterback,” the coach said, referencing since-departed star Bijan Robinson and Ewers, respectively. “I know he’s going to get a lot of hype and all that, but I don’t think he’s as good (as other Big 12 quarterbacks).”
The coach added that he would watch for Manning to “unseat (Ewers) at some point.”
Ewers’s numbers were not overwhelming in his first season—he threw 15 touchdowns against six interceptions—but he showed flashes despite battling a shoulder injury.
Time will tell whether Ewers remain ahead of Manning, one of the most highly touted prospects of his generation, on the Longhorns depth chart.
