Arch Manning’s college football journey is uncommon in today’s game. After committing to Texas as the No. 1 recruit in the 2023 class, Manning spent two seasons as a backup to Quinn Ewers.
Most players today would have transferred through the portal, but Manning stayed patient and committed. Now, his quarterback coach is praising his preparation and readiness during those two backup years while also raising concerns about the importance of the new Texas backup as Manning takes over the starting role.
Texas QB Coach Expresses Concern About Backup Quarterback as Arch Manning Prepares to Start
Most backup quarterbacks in college football don’t prepare as if they are the starter. It’s not a criticism of those players, but there isn’t the same urgency to prepare without the pressure of starting.
However, in an interview with ESPN Austin, Longhorns quarterback coach AJ Milwee explained that it was not the case for Manning.
“They come into these situations where you have to sit, and you don’t prepare yourself to be a starting quarterback in that first or second year,” Milwee told ESPN Austin. “This kid has not done that. This kid has prepared himself like he has been a starter.”
This mindset gives the Longhorns full confidence heading into the 2025 season with their starter. However, Texas now needs its new backup to adopt a similar approach.
Milwee explained that since his arrival in Austin in 2021, no quarterback has started a full season due to injuries. As a result, deciding on the backup will be a key decision during fall camp.
“Our starter has not started every game since we’ve been here,” Milwee told ESPN Austin. “That’s going to be a big piece of this fall camp, and kind of finding out who that guy is going to be.”
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Texas has a few options for the backup quarterback heading into fall camp, but the two frontrunners are redshirt freshman Trey Owens and grad transfer Matthew Caldwell.
Owens was a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 21 quarterback and No. 299 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class, according to 247Sports composite rankings. He appeared in two games last season, throwing two passes for 19 yards.
Caldwell played in 10 games at Troy last season, throwing for 1,608 yards, 13 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He entered the transfer portal and chose Texas for his final college football season.
Milwee appreciates Manning’s approach to being a backup, and with Owens only a redshirt freshman, he has the chance to follow in his footsteps. That way, when Manning eventually leaves for the NFL, Owens could smoothly step into the starting role.
Because of Milwee’s opinion on Manning’s mindset, Owens seems the most likely to earn the backup job by the end of fall camp.
