College Football

Steve Sarkisian: Quinn Ewers' return will benefit both him and Arch Manning

Updated Feb. 29, 2024 7:34 p.m. ET

Steve Sarkisian did not allow any uncertainty to grow over who would lead his Texas football team in 2024 between incumbent starting quarterback Quinn Ewers and the five-star prodigy from football royalty, Arch Manning.

It was Ewers, after all, who led the Longhorns back to a conference title in their final season in the Big 12 — not to mention a first-ever College Football Playoff berth. And though Manning moved up to the Longhorns' second string after 2023 backup quarterback Maalik Murphy transferred to Duke, Ewers' decision to forego the NFL Draft and return for another year of college means the starting job remains his.

Sarkisian confirmed as much to reporters on Feb. 7, and he expanded on that topic during a recent appearance on FOX Sports analyst Keyshawn Johnson's podcast, "All Facts No Brakes."

"I'm a little bit old school on some of this stuff," Sarkisian told Johnson. "I understand that in this day in age of recruiting and social media, everybody wants to be the five-star and come in right away and have instant impact and things of that nature. But I'm a little bit of the belief that there's a developmental side to our game, so that when you do play, you play great football, and that you have longevity in your career when you do get to the NFL because you're prepared for that time when you get there."

In that spirit, Sarkisian thinks it will benefit Ewers to get his total number of career college starts up into the 30s and gain more experience and maturity being a leader of a team. Better durability wouldn't hurt either, as Ewers has missed games due to injury in each of the past two seasons.

"And I think for Arch," Sarkisian said, "what a great opportunity as a backup now this year, in his second season, going to get some definite playing time. We're looking forward to him doing that, watching his maturation and growth. I think for both of these guys, this is going to be the best for them for their futures, so that they can play the best football.

"We're fortunate. I've never been anywhere where we haven't had quarterbacks, and so we're fortunate to have those two guys right now as guys that go out and lead our offense, lead our team."

Ewers started 12 games for the Longhorns last season, finishing with 3,479 passing yards (just under 290 per game), 22 touchdowns and six interceptions on a 69% completion rate. That included a 452-yard, four-touchdown clinic against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 title game and 318 yards with another touchdown — and a season-high 54 rush yards — in Texas' narrow Sugar Bowl defeat against eventual national runner-up Washington.

Why Texas HC Steve Sarkesian named Quinn Ewers QB1 over Arch Manning

That Sugar Bowl still haunts Sarkisian, but he is keeping things in perspective when looking at the past two teams to win college football national titles.

"We came out of the locker room at halftime, tie game 21-all, and next thing you know, we have two turnovers in our first nine plays [in the second half]," Sarkisian said. "So how do we continue to grow as a program to not put ourselves and have to be that tight of a situation, and if we are in that situation, [how can we] execute at a really high level, and try to come out on top?

"I think it's a process. I look at Michigan — for a couple of years there, they were getting to the [CFP] semis but couldn't get over the hump, weren't playing quite their best football, then they get over the hump [last season], and they go win a national championship. I look at Georgia early on, in Kirby [Smart's] tenure there, where they kind of were getting there and couldn't get over the hump — they get to the national championship game and Tua [Tagovailoa] beats them on second-and-26, but then they finally got over that hump. And, they won a couple [national titles] in a row and obviously have a very good team and a very good program. We got there. I think it was great exposure for our guys. Would I have liked to play a little bit better? Sure. But I think it was good exposure. And now we know what the standard is."

Sarkisian is proud of the progress his program has made in his time there. He told Johnson he is happy in Austin, enjoying the element of city life in the Texas state capitol while not having to compete with a major professional sports team in the same market.

He also reaffirmed that he wants to carve out his own legacy at Texas, a goal that has become more poignant to him since Jan. 8, when his legendary former bosses and mentors Pete Carroll and Nick Saban stepped down from their respective jobs on the same day. Sarkisian said Carroll and Saban were the two most influential figures in his coaching career, as he won national titles as an assistant under both coaches at USC and Alabama, respectively.

"Those guys were huge and monumental in my career in growing me into this profession and finding my way — Coach Carroll giving me my shot, my opportunity, and growing me in the profession. … And then Coach Saban resurrecting my career at Alabama. I can't think those two men enough for what they've done for me and my career and wish them nothing but the best.

"Like I've told people before, when I left Alabama to come to Texas at the end of that 2020 season, when we won the national championship [at Alabama], I came here with the hopes and the goals of building my own legacy."

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