Will Texas Longhorns legacy QB Arch Manning play this week when Steve Sarkisian’s squad takes on the Kansas State Wildcats? Here’s the latest on the Texas QB situation and how Manning factors in.
Arch Manning Waiting in the Wings
The Longhorns will still be without starting QB Quinn Ewers, who injured his shoulder in a late October game against the Houston Cougars. In Ewers’ place, the Longhorns will once again start Maalik Murphy.
Arch Manning — the nephew of Hall of Fame NFL QB Peyton Manning and two-time Super Bowl champion QB Eli Manning — will be Murphy’s backup.
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With Murphy starting and Manning taking the backup spot, the two QBs will keep the roles they had in Week 9 against the BYU Cougars.
Murphy started in Ewers’ place against BYU and helped Texas secure a 35-6 victory. Murphy completed 16 of 25 passes for 170 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Despite the lopsided final score, Manning did not see the field in the second half.
Could Manning See the Field Against Kansas State?
For Manning to see the field and get his first college football action, Murphy would either have to play poorly enough to be benched or suffer an injury that would force Manning into the game.
Sarkisian generally gave Murphy good feedback in light of his performance against BYU, and Murphy himself is a quality talent at QB. He’s a former four-star recruit who earned the backup job in the summer.
That said, Murphy’s interception against the Cougars was a poor throw, and the Kansas State defense might be more equipped to take advantage of mistakes the young QB makes.
Kansas State is 6-2, and their defense has allowed 15.9 points per game through eight contests — a figure that’s good for 14th-best in the entire FBS. They’re also one of just 45 teams to force 10 or more turnovers in that span.
Over their past two games, the Kansas State defense has allowed just three points combined. Needless to say, it’s a stalwart unit with pressure-generators up front and playmakers on the back end.
Given the confidence that Texas’ coaches have shown in Murphy, he’d have to play very poorly to be benched. But in a game against a ranked Big 12 opponent, the leash might be a bit shorter, especially if Texas needs to find some momentum.
Were Manning to see the field this week, it would be the first landmark on a long journey to the 2026 NFL Draft, where Manning is already building anticipation as a potential legacy prospect.
