Texas coach Steve Sarkisian confirms quarterback competition between Arch Manning, Quinn Ewers

Freshman quarterback Arch Manning will compete for the starting job with sophomore Quinn Ewers, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian confirmed Monday after the Longhorns held their opening practice of the spring.

"I'm not worried about who's going to be on the cover of what magazine next week," Sarkisian said.

"I'm more focused on is, is each guy focusing on what they need to do to develop to be the best player that they can be? Quinn has an entire year of a head start, but I don't want to hold Arch back. I want to see how far he can take this thing and what it can look like."

Ewers was the primary starter last season as Texas rebounded from a losing season in Sarkisian's debut to win eight games and finish No. 25 in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll. A former five-star recruit who began his career at Ohio State, Ewers threw for 2,177 yards and 15 touchdowns while completing 58.1% of his attempts.

But his hold on the starting job will be tested by Manning, the nation's top overall recruit and one of the most high-profile prospects in recent college football history.

Will Manning start at Texas?

The next generation of Manning quarterbacks was recruited by every major program in the country before settling on Texas and Georgia as finalists. By joining the Longhorns, Manning will go toe-to-toe with another top-end talent who holds one huge advantage: the experience of spending last year as the starter.

While Manning has the arm strength, maturity and mental makeup to produce as a freshman, he'll have to battle through the predictable growing pains that come with the transition to the Power Five.

After his first day of practice, "there's some plays for sure that he would love to have back," said Sarkisian. "There's some other plays that he made where I think everybody was like, 'Wow, that was a heck of a play.' But he brings a worker's mentality and he wants to be really good at this game."

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Quinn Ewers vs. Arch Manning

In his first game after permanently replacing the since-transferred Hudson Card last October, Ewers threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns as Texas demolished Oklahoma 49-0 in the Red River Rivalry. It would be the high point of a season that would quickly turn sour: Ewers hit on just 38.8% of his throws with three interceptions in a 41-31 loss to Oklahoma State just two weeks later.

Overall, the sophomore's performance opened a door for Manning to step right in and take over as the Longhorns' starter.

"He wants to be really good," Sarkisian said of Ewers. "He wants to be a leader on this team. He wants to win a championship with these guys."

While in competition for the starting role, Ewers has helped Manning make the transition onto campus, Sarkisian added.

"I think what he's done, he's serving for Arch and, 'Hey, this is what it looks like, and this is how to go about your business.'"

Predicting Texas' depth chart

At this point, Ewers still has to be considered the most likely starter for the  opener against Rice. One week later, the Longhorns travel to Alabama in a rematch of one of this past season's best games, a narrow win for the Crimson Tide.

Even should he fend off Manning this spring and during preseason camp, however, Ewers likely will be on a very short leash during what could be a make-or-break season for Sarkisian.

And while Texas may seem to be in an enviable position — only an elite handful of programs have one five-star quarterback on the roster, let alone two — the transfer portal has created an almost non-stop game of musical chairs across the Bowl Subdivision.

Ewers has already transferred and would need to either leave as a graduate transfer or receive a waiver to be immediately eligible should he decide the leave Austin.

But he has the inside track to be the Longhorns' starter. Can Manning make his move before September? He'll be given the chance to live up to his name and recruiting hype.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Arch Manning, Quinn Ewers competing for Texas quarterback job