Former five-star recruit Arch Manning – the nephew of NFL legends Peyton and Eli Manning – has spent the first two years of his college career as the backup to Quinn Ewers with the Texas Longhorns. But now it’s his time to shine.

Manning's first game as the unquestioned face of Texas football will be against the same team Ewers faced in his last: Ohio State in Week 1.

The Texas Longhorns will have high expectations going into 2025 after finishing two consecutive seasons in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Quinn Ewers has not officially announced his intentions for 2025, but the junior quarterback said before the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Friday that he expects to enter April's draft.

A sophomore expected to start at quarterback for the Longhorns next season, Arch Manning praised Quinn Ewers and the team leaders after the CFP loss.

Texas has reached consecutive College Football Playoff semifinals and posted 25 wins over two years. You have to go all the way back to when Colt McCoy was playing quarterback during coach Mack Brown's heyday more than 15 years ago to find a better stretch.

Just last week the Texas Longhorns saw their 2024 season come to a crushing end, just one game short of the national title - again. After losing to eventual

Texas QB Arch Manning is expected to get the Longhorns back into the College Football Playoff next year, and more, regardless of who's around him in Austin.