Will Arch Manning play for Texas this week? What that could mean for his future

Could college football fans see Arch Manning play quarterback Saturday for Texas against BYU?

Maybe, but it won’t likely be as the Longhorn’ starter.

Maalik Murphy, a redshirt freshman from California, will likely start Saturday, according to Texas coach Steve Sarkisian. The coach said Murphy and Manning will practice with the first team this week after starter Quinn Ewers suffered a sprained right shoulder in Saturday’s 31-24 win over Houston. Ewers is "week to week," according to Sarkisian, but is expected to return this season.

Murphy has served as Ewers' backup all season and entered the win over Houston in the fourth quarter when Ewers couldn’t return to the game.

"Not every school is as fortunate as we are to have a quarterbacks room like we have," Sarkisian said.

Is Arch Manning a redshirt freshman?

If Manning does play Saturday, that won’t immediately affect his redshirt status for the Texas football team. Players are allowed four years of eligibility in a five-year span, although various exemptions could extend that window of playing time. In addition, players can appear in up to four games in a single season without that season counting toward a full year of eligibility.

Manning has yet to play in a game this season. Texas has five more games left in the regular season in addition to a possible appearance in the Big 12 title game and a bowl game. Texas earned bowl eligibility with its win over Houston, but bowl games do not count toward the four-game redshirt rule.

The top-rated quarterback recruit in the nation for his 2023 high school football class, the 6-4, 212-pound Manning is the nephew of former NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning and the grandson of Archie Manning, a former NFL quarterback and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. Arch Manning was the highest-rated recruit to sign with Texas out of high school since Vince Young in 2001.