Steve Sarkisian undecided on Texas starting QB for Longhorns’ SEC debut

As the No. 1 ranked Longhorns prepare for their SEC debut this Saturday against Mississippi State (4:15 p.m. ET, SEC Network), Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is still undecided on who the starting quarterback will be. 

Quinn Ewers, who had been the starter for the Longhorns and led them to victories against Colorado State and Michigan in their opening two contests of the season, suffered an oblique strain in their Week 3 game against UTSA. 

Arch Manning, the son of Cooper, grandson of Archie, and nephew to Peyton and Eli has since taken over the reins. He made his first career start this past Saturday when the Longhorns defeated UL Monroe 51-3.

While Sarkisian had previously stated on Monday that he was pleased with how Ewers looked in practice, he reiterated to reporters on Thursday that a decision would not be made until Friday.

“We’re going to decide on the quarterback thing [Friday],” Sarkisian stated. “It won’t be a secret. We’re not trying to pull the wool over anybody’s eyes. Just want to give Quinn every opportunity to see if he’s ready to play and what he looks like.”

Regardless of who Sarkisian chooses, both QBs have displayed incredible talent. In his third season at Texas, Ewers has started out the 2024 season especially strong, completing 58 of his 79 pass attempts for 691 yards with eight TDs and only two interceptions. 

While Manning appeared in last season’s blowout victory over Texas Tech, he has received some additional playing time this season, especially with Ewers’ injury. 

Just last week against UL Monroe, Manning led the Longhorns to a dominating performance, going 15-of-29 for 258 yards with two TDs and two interceptions. Although his 51.7 completion percentage was not eye-opening, Manning displayed his arm strength and proved why he is more than capable of leading the Longhorns if Ewers cannot go.

As the Longhorns begin SEC play for the first time, one could argue their SEC schedule is favorable. After opening against the Bulldogs of Mississippi State, who will be without starting QB Blake Shapen (shoulder) for the rest of the 2024 season, the Longhorns will go into their first off-week before their rivalry game against Oklahoma the following Saturday. After the Longhorns host the Georgia Bulldogs on Oct. 19, their schedule consists of home games against Florida and Kentucky, while their road contests include games at Vanderbilt, Arkansas, and Texas A&M. 

Considering how daunting the SEC slate can be, Texas appears to have everything in front of them if they can stay healthy and live up to their current expectations as the top-ranked team in the country.