Arch Manning Slips In Rankings Of Best Backups In College Football

The Texas Longhorns may be having some issues at running back , but on the bright side, they do have one of the best quarterback rooms in all of college football.

The room is of course headlined by Quinn Ewers who led them to their first Big 12 title since 2009, and an appearance in the final four-team College Football this past season. Right behind him is another former five-star and No. 1 overall recruit, who at one point had most fans convinced he would supplant Ewers as the starter; Arch Manning.

The grandson of Ole Miss legend Archie Manning and nephew of former college and NFL stars Eli and Peyton Manning was as heralded as they come during his time at Isidore Newman in New Orleans. His choosing Texas was a major lift for the program considering just three years ago, the program was as unstable as they come at the position.

While he never snatched the starting job away from Ewers and played sparingly in 2023 attempting just five passes, he did shine in the Longhorns' spring game ahead of 2024. Head coach Steve Sarkisian made it a point to get Manning as many reps as possible, and he took advantage of them. He finished the game with 355 yards and three touchdowns, and again kickstarted the chants for him to be QB1.

Seeing his strong performance made it less shocking when 247Sports ' Brad Crawford ranked him as the best backup back in April, but in Clint Brewster's rankings of the backup quarterbacks that he released on Tuesday, Manning was lower on the list.

Brewster had Manning as the No. 2 backup in college football, as Florida's DJ Lagway held the top spot on his list. Brewster went as far as to compare Lagway to former Gator legend Tim Tebow, and raved about how dynamic of an athlete he is. In terms of Manning, Brewster did say that he expects him to be among the best in the country.

"Manning has an elite passing skill set and sneaky mobility. Manning and Lagway will take over college football in 2025 and headline the SEC for the next few seasons," wrote Brewster.

While Ewers is still the starter, with the Longhorns hoping to make a deep playoff run, Manning will certainly have his number called upon to help. While Ewers is one of the best, he has had some injury issues during his young career. In fact, he has missed time with an injury every season he has played dating back to his final year of high school.

Related: BREAKING: Texas Longhorns lose running back Christian Clark for 2024 season due to torn Achilles

The Longhorns open their season against Colorado State, which could be a prime opportunity to see Manning.