Steve Spurrier stirred the pot with a question regarding Texas’s quarterback situation.
Arch Manning spent his first two seasons in Austin sitting behind Quinn Ewers. With Ewers going to the NFL, head coach Steve Sarkisian will hand the Longhorns offense over to Manning in 2025.
The former No. 1 recruit is drawing immense preseason buzz, entering the season as a prominent Heisman Trophy contender. Texas is also a premier title contender behind Manning.
Spurrier wondered why such a talent wouldn’t play sooner.
“Most people are picking Texas to win the SEC in football,” Spurrier said on Another Dooley Noted Podcast. “They’ve got Arch Manning already winning the Heisman, too. My question is, if he was this good, how come they let Quinn Ewers play all the time last year?”
Several college football fans shared the same thought as Spurrier. However, others noted that the former Florida head coach may not be the best person to raise this inquiry.
Spurrier oversaw an arguably similar situation when he played Chris Leak over Tim Tebow in 2006. The latter won the Heisman in 2007 before leading the Gators to a 2008 national title.
“This is a very logical question,” a fan claimed.
“Spurrier always asking the real questions,” a fan wrote.
“It’s a fair question,” TexAgs.com’s Billy Luicci said.
“If Tim Tebow was so good, then why did Chris Leak play over him?” a fan asked.
“This coming from a guy who played Tim Tebow at fullback so Chris Leak could start,” a fan noted. “Would he prefer Sark pick nobody and rotate three QBs at the same time instead?”
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Manning excelled when replacing an injured Ewers early last season, but Sarkisian ruled out any controversy. He stuck with Ewers, who took Texas to the College Football Playoff semifinals and finished his junior year with 31 passing touchdowns.
Spurrier also noted that Ewers fell to the seventh round of this year’s NFL Draft. If Manning meets lofty expectations, he could follow his uncles as the family’s next No. 1 overall pick.
Any Texas fans interpreting Spurrier’s comments as casting doubt on whether Manning will justify the hype may remember these comments for when the Longhorns play the Gators on Oct. 4.
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