Texas star quarterback Quinn Ewers suffered a sprained right shoulder last week and is expected to miss a few weeks. With Ewers on the shelf, the entire college football landscape wants to know whether we’ll see Arch Manning play against BYU on Saturday.
Will Arch Manning Play This Week?
We may see Manning’s collegiate debut against BYU this week, but it’s not likely to come as a starter.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian announced that Maalik Murphy, a redshirt freshman from California, is expected to start in the upcoming game. Murphy has served as Ewers’ backup all season and entered the win over Houston in the fourth quarter when Ewers couldn’t return to the game.
MORE: Why Isn’t Arch Manning Starting for Texas?
But Murphy and Manning are set to practice with the first team this week. According to Sarkisian, Ewers is “week-to-week” but is expected to return this season.
The 6’4″, 212-pound Manning is the son of Cooper Manning and the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning. He has been in the football spotlight since his time at Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans.
Manning was selective with his recruitment as the No. 1 prospect in the 2023 cycle. He opted to go with Texas over Alabama, Clemson, and every other school in the country.
“Like I’ve said before, I’ve had a ton of confidence in Arch,” Sarkisian said. “I think it was a couple of weeks ago he had a fantastic practice. So I’m really encouraged by that. … We’re fortunate, you know, not every school is as fortunate as we are to have the quarterback room that we have and the connectivity that room has. I think a lot can be said for Quinn and his leadership in that room.”
Despite Manning being behind Murphy on the depth chart, Murphy has only thrown eight passes in his career. A redshirt freshman, the 6’5″, 238-pound Murphy is also looking to prove himself in this game. A great outing may keep Manning on the bench or give Murphy the ability to transfer to a better situation next year if he loses out to Manning.
What Classification Is Arch Manning?
Manning is a true freshman and is eligible to be redshirted in 2023, even if he plays no more than four games this season. The NCAA’s loose redshirt rules will allow Manning to enter 2024 as a true sophomore if he plays in fewer than five games. Texas has five regular season games remaining, plus they could play in the Big 12 title game and a bowl game.
Regardless of whether Manning remains a true sophomore in 2024, he won’t be draft-eligible until the 2026 NFL Draft. Losing his redshirt season won’t significantly impact Manning’s future. If he plays in more than four games, performs well, and Ewers declares for the 2024 NFL Draft, Manning still can’t declare for the 2025 NFL Draft because he’s not three years removed from high school.
There’s pressure on Ewers to return and boost his stock this season or else be faced with the possibility of transferring again. We don’t know if Sarkisian would rather keep Manning happy by promising him the 2024 starting job over Ewers or risk losing Manning to the transfer portal.