College Football

Arch Manning, not Quinn Ewers, draws a crowd at Sugar Bowl media day

Updated Dec. 30, 2023 5:15 p.m. ET

NEW ORLEANS — The Texas quarterback was surrounded by throngs of reporters at any given moment during Sugar Bowl media day on Saturday, answering questions ahead of the program's first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff.

That in itself is not surprising, except that it was freshman backup Arch Manning, not starter Quinn Ewers, who attracted all the attention before the biggest game of the year against Washington on New Year's Day.

Manning, of course, is not exactly new to the spotlight. He was the nation's top recruit a year ago, and oh yeah, has famous uncles named Peyton and Eli and a grandfather named Archie. Normally, on media days like these, backups don't garner much hoopla at all. Ewers, who sat a few feet away from Manning on a dais reserved for starters, didn't draw a sliver of it.

"We were joking about it a little bit," quarterbacks coach AJ Milwee told FOX Sports with a chuckle.

But Manning, who said himself that he hasn't played any meaningful minutes in his college career yet, was confident, mature, approachable, and not cocky in the least, as he not only politely answered questions, but went into honest detail about his experience at Texas so far.

Asked if all the attention and hype like this is ever awkward, he said it is, but that he's used to it. When he first arrived on campus nearly a year ago, students asked to take pictures with him while he walked to class. He joked that his teammates would probably give him a hard time for being the most popular player at media day.

But Manning takes those things in stride. He just wants to be a regular guy, though he said this while sitting on a bench directly across the field from his Hall of Fame grandfather's banner hanging in the Caesars Superdome rafters.

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"I'm not some superhero," Manning said. "I'm just a normal 19-year-old guy just trying to work hard and play football. That's really all it is."

Entering the season, Ewers was projected to be a Heisman Trophy contender and a top 2024 NFL Draft pick. He didn't quite live up to those expectations — it didn't help that an injury sidelined him for two games. But he still finished the regular season with a 70.7% completion percentage (eighth-best nationally and better than Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr.'s 65.9%) and has thrown 21 touchdowns to just six interceptions. He's considering returning for another year, but said he hasn't made a final decision yet.

How tough would it be for Manning if Ewers returns? This is the first time in his life that he's been a backup, having started every year for his teams since he was in the sixth grade.

"I mean, it's never fun being a backup and sitting," Manning said. "But each person's journey is different, and I'm gonna work hard and not blink an eye, and help Quinn be the best quarterback and try to get better along the way."

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Manning said before the season that both Peyton and Eli — even though they mostly stay out of their nephew's business according to Arch — advised him to always prepare like he was the starter. Third on the depth chart for most of the year, he was only recently promoted to second string after former backup Maalik Murphy transferred to Duke. While Ewers takes all the first-team reps, Manning still gets the chance to throw to star wide receivers Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell every practice.

He also has conversations with head coach Steve Sarkisian and Milwee about his status on the team.

"I told him, ‘Look, this is going to be one of the tougher years you've ever experienced as a football player because it's going to be drastically different than anything you've ever really experienced,'" Milwee said. "We have meetings to remind him, this is what we're working towards so that when that time comes for you, you're ready and it's not, ‘Now I'm the guy, how do I prepare? How do I practice?' We've already checked those boxes so [then] it's just about being the guy in those elements."

Manning hasn't technically been part of the program for a full year, but Milwee said he's done a complete 180 from when he first arrived. He's grown comfortable being part of the team and is getting used to being a college freshman. He's figured out his routine when it comes to school, weight room, watching film, practice, etc.

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It's also obvious that he's developed strong relationships with his teammates. He's roommates with Ewers for games and calls him one of his "best friends on the team." Manning is a sponge and loves to pick Ewers' brain, sometimes asking Ewers to quiz him on plays. He said he thinks Ewers is best at finding completions and admires how he "doesn't let a bad drive or the media or anything get in the way of his focus." Manning describes the entire QB room for that matter as tight — they go out for BBQ every Tuesday night for dinner.

"It's really cool because it's not a room of tension," Milwee said of the quarterbacks. "In general, they're a really close-knit group that enjoy each other's company. They push each other. The meetings are great.

"I've never at any point in time since Arch arrived on campus been like, it's getting a little stuffy in here. I've never felt that. It's always been a really good environment."

Manning hasn't just bonded with the quarterbacks. When he made his debut during the fourth quarter of Texas' 57-7 romp over Texas Tech to close out the regular season, not only did the crowd erupt, but his teammates were dapping him up, giving him pats on the helmet, and overall seemed thrilled. He completed two of five passes for 30 yards and said both of his uncles texted him after the game to say they were "fired up" for him.

"He had a blast," Milwee said.

But none of that stops the transfer portal rumors out there, especially with Ewers' decision looming. Manning's recruitment and eventual commitment to Texas over programs like Alabama, Georgia and Ole Miss caused so much buzz, that any hints of a transfer are headline news.

On Saturday, Manning said, "I haven't looked into transferring at all."

He's not concerned about NIL deals, noting that he's not involved with it (his father, Cooper, handles everything), doesn't know how much money he's even making, and joked that he doesn't think he's earning more than Brock Purdy's current NFL contract. He said someone had sent him a tweet that insinuated as much.

He's solely focused on developing, specifically under Sarkisian, which is one of the main reasons why he came to Texas in the first place.

"I think Sark's track record with quarterbacks — what he did at Alabama — I just saw trust in him and I thought [Texas] was the right fit for me," Manning said. "I thought I fit into the offense, I liked how Sark ran his team and I thought Texas was on an upward slope.

"Sark is one of the realist guys I know," Manning continued. "He keeps it 100 with you and expects a lot out of you. And that's good. That's what I want. It's been fun learning under him."

Manning added that he would have wanted to go to Texas even if he wasn't a football player, because he loves the city of Austin and feels like he can "blend in" more than he would have in Tuscaloosa, Athens or Oxford.

So, how close does Manning think he is to being the starter? Technically, he's one play away. Just ask Garrett Gilbert, another former top recruit and backup quarterback, who was thrust into the national championship when Colt McCoy got hurt the last time the Longhorns played for a title in 2009.

Manning said he is "fired up" to watch Ewers face Washington's defense on Monday night. But added, "I'll be ready to play."

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.