Sark: Ewers, Manning in competitors for QB task
After the Texas Longhorns’very first spring practice, coach Steve Sarkisian said on Monday that all positions are up for grabs, consisting of quarterback, where sophomore Quinn Ewers and freshman Arch Manning will complete for the starting task.
“I’m not stressed over who’s going to be on the cover of what magazine next week,” Sarkisian said. “I’m more concentrated on is, is each guy focusing on what they require to do to develop to be the very best player that they can be? Quinn has a whole year of a head start, but I don’t wish to hold Arch back. I want to see how far he can take this thing and what it can appear like.”
Both were highly desirable recruits, with Ewers ranked as the No. 2 player in the 2021 ESPN 300 and Manning– among the most prominent employees in history– at No. 5 in the 2023 edition.Ewers arrived last season as a transfer from Ohio State; began 10 games, tossing for 2,177 lawns and 15 touchdowns with 6 interceptions; and was named the Huge 12 Offensive Beginner of the Year. He struggled in stretches of the season however closed strong, going 31-of-47 for 369 lawns and a TD against Washington in the Alamo Bowl, and he finished the season with 116 straight passes without an interception.Editor’s Picks
Still, Sarkisian said the passing game has to improve this season, and he knows the huge spotlight on his QB derby. Sarkisian kept in mind the reaction on social media when Ewers cut his trademark mullet this offseason, saying the two had actually spoken about how sometimes your appearance creates an understanding about you.
“Suddenly, now the guy gets a haircut and cleans his beard up a bit and everyone believes Quinn’s genuine major right now,” Sarkisian said. “However that’s human nature. It’s never been a question of him taking this severe. He wants to be truly great. He wishes to be a leader on this team. He wants to win a champion with these people. And that doesn’t change what he does daily, however appearance is what it is. Therefore I do think him acknowledging that shows some maturity.”
Sarkisian said that Ewers has ended up being a more vocal existence this offseason.
“I believe what he’s done, he’s serving for Arch and, ‘Hey, this is what it appears like,'” Sarkisian said. “‘And this is how to go about your company.'”
Sarkisian discussed, similarly, the attention Manning got previously this year when he twice lost his student ID and other trainees shared it on social networks, and cautioned that it’s a pointer that Manning is a freshman who still needs to technically be in high school, regardless of the excitement around his finalizing and his name.
“For Arch today, Day 1, there’s some plays for sure that he would love to have back,” Sarkisian said. “There’s some other plays that he made where I think everyone resembled, ‘Wow, that was a heck of a play.’ However he brings an employee’s mentality and he wants to be really proficient at this game.”
Sarkisian likewise revealed that wide receiver Xavier Worthy, who had a bit of a frustrating sophomore season with 760 yards and 9 touchdowns (58.8 lawns per game) after a breakout freshman year in which he had 981 yards and 12 TDs, played with a damaged hand for about half the season last year.
“Anytime you’re a receiver and you’re having fun with a broken hand, that’s a quite crucial aspect of your game, and that person never wanted to sit out, not play,” Sarkisian said, noting that he didn’t expose it so opponents didn’t know. “He concerned work. He fought through it. There were days in practice where we intentionally didn’t throw him balls just to take some of the pressure off of it. However I think we’re going to see a version of Xavier Worthy that’s going to be drastically different now that he’s healthy.”
Monday likewise brought a make over in the backfield, with Texas seeking replacements for running backs Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson, components for the Longhorns the past couple of years.On Monday
, Jaydon Blue took first-team associates and freshman Cedric Baxter Jr. likewise was in the rotation. Sarkisian stated running backs Jonathon Brooks (offseason hernia surgery) and Keilan Robinson (muscle pressure) were both held out while they recuperate.