Sarkisian: Quinn Ewers is QB1, but Texas has backup options in Maalik Murphy, Arch Manning
HOUSTON — After speaking about his football team at the Bayou City Event Center on Wednesday, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian had time for a few questions.
But before fans were allowed to ask anything, Sarkisian sought an answer for himself. Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale was sponsoring the Touchdown Club of Houston's luncheon, so Sarkisian quizzed the famed gambler on what he thought the betting line should be on whether the first question would be about quarterbacks.
McIngvale gave him 1-to-10 odds.
Well, the first question ended up being about the starters set to return on the Texas defense.
"You would have lost," Sarkisian wryly told McIngvale. Then somebody wanted Sarkisian to discuss the transfer portal.
The conversation did eventually shift to the quarterbacks. Sarkisian reiterated that Quinn Ewers is his starter. Sarkisian has liked the offseason progress made by Ewers, who threw for 2,177 yards and 15 touchdowns last season.
Ewers, however, isn't the only quarterback on the roster. So what about the other guys?
Yeah, one woman asked, what about Arch Manning? Is the five-star freshman from football's first family content with starting his college career as a backup?
"I hope not," Sarkisian answered. "I want him to be scratching at the surface every chance he can get to try to be more than that."
Sarkisian noted, though, that both of Manning's uncles weren't expected to play when they first got to campus. Tennessee turned to Peyton Manning as a true freshman only after two other quarterbacks got injured in 1994. Eli Manning redshirted at Ole Miss in 1999.
"I think the family is very reasonable and understanding that this is a process of development," Sarkisian said. "I think they also understand that when it's your time to play, you want to play great. Everybody can hurry up and just get on the field and then you don't play so hot — that's not very fun, right? You want to put yourself in a position to get ready to perform when your number's called."
No NIL deals for Manning till he starts
Sarkisian also was asked how much NIL money it took to get Manning to Texas. He insisted that Manning didn't receive a single penny. In fact, Sarkisian shared that Archie Manning told his grandson that he was not allowed to accept any NIL deals until he had earned the starting job. Sarkisian said Arch's father, Cooper Manning, told him that "this is not about NIL."
"I wish I had my phone, I would read you the text I got from Cooper Manning after Arch called me out of the blue at about nine in the morning to say he was coming to the University of Texas," Sarkisian said. "It had come down to us, Alabama and Georgia. His dad texted to say if there's a message to tell any of the other recruits, is Arch Manning is coming to Texas because he loves the University of Texas, he loves the coaches, he loves the program."
Manning will compete for positioning on the depth chart with Texas' other scholarship quarterbacks. Maalik Murphy will be a redshirt freshman. Charles Wright is entering his third year of college.
Murphy did not play last year, but he starred in this month's Orange-White game. He completed nine of his 13 pass attempts and connected with Johntay Cook II on a 79-yard touchdown.
Murphy has stuck with Texas; Texas sticking with Murphy
Sarkisian was asked in a press conference ahead of Wednesday's luncheon whether he was surprised that Murphy was still on the roster. Murphy, after all, was a four-star prospect coming out of high school, but Ewers became the Longhorns' starter and Manning arguably is Texas' most notable recruit in recent years. In the era of the transfer portal, those factors often lead to an exit.
Sarkisian responded by saying Murphy has bought into the team culture. He added that Murphy himself didn't immediately start in high school because when he was a sophomore, future UNLV quarterback Doug Brumfield was a senior at their California school. And future UCLA signee Justyn Martin also was a sophomore on the same Gardena Serra team.
"Maalik could have transferred then," Sarkisian said. "He bought into being a great teammate, he bought into working with that guy and inevitably what happened for Maalik, he ends up winning a state championship his senior year, he ends up signing with the University of Texas, he's fulfilling his dreams of being a Division I college football quarterback and ultimately trying to pursue the NFL. I think he has a vision and a dream for what it's going to look like for him at Texas, too.
"If I go recruit quarterbacks who go to three and four or five high schools throughout their time, then I should worry about those guys leaving when I get them, too, because history is the best indicator of the future," he added. "When you look at things historically in recruiting and you really do your homework, you have an idea of what they're going to look like when players are on your roster. So no, I'm not surprised by Maalik. I think he's a great young man. I think he's an awesome teammate."
Last season, Texas ranked 55th nationally in passing offense. The Longhorns averaged 241.4 yards per game. Four of the 12 teams on their 2023 schedule — No. 10 Iowa State, No. 17 Alabama, No. 38 Rice and No. 50 Wyoming — boasted a top-50 passing defense.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Murphy, Manning give Texas football team backup options at quarterback
