Sarkisian says Arch Manning needs to play this season

There is no quarterback controversy in Austin. Quinn Ewers has been the starter since he decided to return to Texas for his junior year. But that doesn’t mean backup Arch Manning will not play this season.

During an appearance on the “Rich Eisen Show ,” Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian said he’ll look for any opportunity to play America’s most famous backup.

“We need to play him. We need to get him in games. In the limited action he got last year, he did a nice job. He’s a very talented young man. He’s got a great work ethic,” he said.

Eisen asked Sark about handling the unique QB situation at Texas with a projected top 10 NFL draft pick as the starter and a highly anticipated backup.

“The first part is, we’re trying to develop those guys for where they’re at in their career,” Sark answered. “I think Quinn’s development during his first two years in the program, now going into Year 3, unequivocally, I think everyone that watches can see that. I think behind the scenes, the development Arch has had from Year 1 to Year 2 has been tremendous as well.”

“Hopefully, Arch is going to get plenty of playing time. That means we’re probably playing pretty good, and he’s going to get plenty of opportunities to get out there,” Sark said.

As for the relationship between the two QBs, Sark says: “The biggest thing is he (Arch) has a great appreciation for Quinn, too, and what Quinn’s gone through to get himself to this point. They’ve got great rapport with one another, great support with one another.”

“I think we handled it the right way,” Sarkisian continued. “We’re up front. We’re honest. We push all the guys in there to develop them to be the best they can be with the goal that when your number is called you can go out there and play really good football.”

When asked by Eisen how Manning has improved, Sark said: “Our practices are extremely competitive. I can see the development in the understanding of our scheme, protections and progressions. He’s really developed physically. He’s a really well put together guy. He can run and he’s extremely athletic. Probably a little more athletic than his uncles. He’s probably a little more like his grandpa.”

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