Will Arch Manning transfer? Latest updates on QB portal rumors if Quinn Ewers stays at Texas

By | November 30, 2023

College football transfer portal season is in full swing and several notable names at quarterback have entered their names in hopes of finding greener pastures.

There is some speculation that Texas quarterback Arch Manning could join them soon with the announcement that Ewers will remain at Texas. Manning has not officially entered his name, nor has he announced any intent to do so himself.

Here’s a look into what to know about the situation surrounding Manning and what could be next for him.

MORE: Transfer portal QB tracker 2023: Tyler Van Dyke, Will Howard on the move

Will Arch Manning transfer?

The idea of Manning transferring is a reasonable one since he’s in a stacked quarterback room and has hardly gotten any playing time, though he has the potential to be a full-time starter immediately elsewhere.

During his recruitment process, Manning and his family kept things pretty tightly under wraps. With that, it should be expected that few details — if any at all — will be leaked before Manning announces his intent to enter the portal, granted that he chooses to go that route. 

Manning is a redshirt freshman so he’s still got plenty of eligibility to make an impact on Texas or a program elsewhere.

Will Quinn Ewers return to Texas for 2024 season?

Ewers’ future at Texas remains up in the air for now with no decision announced on his end at this time.

“I’m not real sure yet,” Ewers responded when asked about his future following the 57-7 win over Texas Tech.

There were reports last month, though, that Ewers was leaning toward coming back. One of those came from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, who said that there had been conversations about a return to Texas for Ewers but that “there’s a long way to go,” before a final decision is made.

Ewers was considered a potential first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but the injury issues Ewers has dealt with do affect his stock in the midst of an absolutely stacked quarterback class. 

Despite this, he’s still had a strong season for Texas, passing for 2,709 yards, 17 touchdowns with 5 interceptions.

Quinn Ewers stats

Game Comp Att Pass Yds TD INT
vs. Texas Tech 17 26 196 1 1
at Iowa State 23 33 281 2 0
at TCU 22 33 317 1 1
at Houston 23 29 211 2 0
vs. Oklahoma 31 37 346 1 2
vs. Kansas 25 35 325 1 1
at Baylor 18 23 293 1 0
vs. Wyoming 11 21 131 2 0
at Alabama 24 38 349 3 0
vs. Rice 19 30 260 3 0
Season total 213 305 2,709 17 5

MORE: Breaking down every College Football Playoff scenario ahead of championship weekend

Arch Manning Ohio State rumors

There has been some buzz surrounding a potential connection between Manning and Ohio State, with Ohio State legend Maurice Clarett making his own attempt on X (formerly known as Twitter) to draw Manning’s interest.

In a post that was later deleted that he tagged both Arch and Peyton Manning in, he wrote this:

“Come on Dawg…. Get in that transfer portal. We will have your whole life turnt up. I know your whole family paid but ain’t nothing like being a star at an elite school. Quinn Ewers ain’t going nowhere soon.” 

There are plenty in the Ohio State fan base who have called for a quarterback like Manning to transfer over and replace Kyle McCord and it’s plausible to believe the Buckeyes would have interest if Manning were to enter the portal. But, for now, there’s nothing concrete to go on and Manning remains at Texas.

Why is Arch Manning not starting?

Manning is not starting because of Ewers, the quarterback with the greater level of experience, winning the job. It was interesting enough to begin with that Manning, the No. 1 recruit in the country, would choose to commit to a team that had a quarterback room as deep as Texas does.

Manning finally saw his first in-game action during Rivalry Week in the 57-7 blowout win over Texas Tech. It wasn’t much, but he was 2-for-5 passing for 30 yards, carrying the ball three times for seven yards.

If Ewers stays at Texas, Manning will once again face stout competition with a signal-caller who is on a major upswing if he can remain healthy on a consistent basis. And he’ll also have to jump Maalik Murphy, who started against BYU and Kansas State after Ewers went down with an injury.

Texas QB depth chart

Rank Player
1 Quinn Ewers
2 Maalik Murphy
3 Arch Manning

Source