Eli Manning gets real about transfer speculation surrounding Texas QB Arch Manning
There's never even been a hint that Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning, a five-star recruit in the 2023 recruiting class, was considering transferring away from Austin. But that didn't stop speculation from running rampant this winter once news broke that Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers had decided to return for another season. Ewers' return in 2024 […]
There's never even been a hint that Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning, a five-star recruit in the 2023 recruiting class, was considering transferring away from Austin.
But that didn't stop speculation from running rampant this winter once news broke that Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers had decided to return for another season.
Ewers' return in 2024 means that Manning, who will be a redshirt freshman this fall, will start the season as the backup quarterback instead of the starting quarterback like some of his other 2023 five-star counterparts (Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian confirmed this month that there won't be an open quarterback battle this spring — it's Ewers' job).
Eli Manning, Arch's uncle, joined the Zach Gelb Show this week in Las Vegas and he made it clear that Arch sitting for another year at Texas isn't an issue.
"He picked Texas because that’s where he wants to be, that’s where he wants to play football," said Eli. "He likes Coach Sarkisian and his offense and what they’re doing. He knew last year that he was gonna go, he was gonna redshirt, get some playing time."
“Obviously, I think the plan was Ewers would maybe go to the NFL," added Eli. "But he’s there (for another year). It’s another year for for Arch to mature, learn the offense, get bigger and stronger in the weight room, and always be prepared to play. You never know what’s gonna happen. And so he's got to be ready. If not, then he gets some playing time here and there and he's got three more years of eligibility at a great school, at a great football program on the rise."
"The fact that you can transfer so easily now doesn't mean you should do it just because you're not playing right away," continued Eli. "A lot of quarterbacks, when I was in college, that was always the game plan. You redshirt, you sit a year, you have three years of eligibility. That's what I did at Ole Miss and I think it helped me. And I think Arch, I know he wants to play and he's itching to get in there. But being patient, continuing to learn, can be very helpful as well."
As a fan of college football in general, it's refreshing that Arch is taking this approach. There's no need to get in a hurry — he'll get his shot in 2025 at the latest (maybe sooner depending on how things transpire in 2024). And sitting those two years won't hurt his future NFL draft stock. If anything, as Eli said, it'll help Arch's development.
