Texas HC Steve Sarkisian to consider Arch Manning as a tier-2 option along with other prospects for the Longhorns' season opener against Rice
Steve Sarkisian has more or less solidified the first unit for the Texas Longhorns ahead of their season opener against the Rice Owls. While Quinn Ewers has settled into the spot of the team's starting QB, Arch Manning seems to have made his way into consideration as the backup for the team.
Ahead of their week 1 matchup against the Owls, Sarkisian addressed the discussion surrounding the backup QB position on Monday, clarifying that Arch Manning would be in consideration for the position of secondary QB alongside the likes of redshirt freshman Maalik Murphy.
The Longhorns are 35-point favorites against the Owls, just two years after they defeated them 58-0 during Sarkisian's first season coaching the team. With the game expected to be a heavy blowout, the team's backups and depth are expected to take the field for an ample amount of time.
Even so, Sarkisian still hasn't settled on which QB between Arch Manning and Maalik Murphy will helm the backup spot.
"Who do we feel like come Thursday is the guy that earned that opportunity to be the backup this week, that’ll be who the backup is," Sarkisian said Monday.
With just days left to their season-opening encounter, Sarkisian and the Longhorns are most probably trying to keep their cards to themselves before revealing them on Thursday.
How did Arch Manning climb up the QB hierarchy at Texas?
Entering the fall training camp, Maalik Murphy was more or less locked in as the backup QB for the Longhorns, especially after a stellar showing in the spring game going 9 of 13 passing for 165 yards and one touchdown, with a highlight reel of beautiful passes.
However, since the start of fall camp, Sarkisian has consistently noted the improvements by Arch Manning leading to his rapid rise up the depth charts for the team. Manning has been amongst the standout performers in training camp as was reported earlier this month.
With his consistent performances in training camp, Arch Manning has already made his way into consideration as the tier-2 QB behind Quinn Ewers in just the first game of the season. However, the odds-on favorite to win the backup QB position remains Murphy.
The Longhorns' matchup against the Owls looks to be a sound opportunity for players across the roster to get some playing time ahead of their crucial week 2 encounter in Tuscaloosa against the Tide.