Nothing is as appealing in college football right now as Texas, heading to the most awaited Arch Manning era. The stage is set, and the vibe is on. Now, it’s just a matter of time before the future king of Austin takes over the reins full-fledgedly on August 30th against the defending champion Ohio State. Manning grew up dreaming of being on the other side of the fence while watching a Texas game. As he continued to follow his passion, he took that first step toward that dream in 2023 and has since waited in the wings for two years behind Quinn Ewers for his turn to lead the Longhorns. There is excitement draped in doubts about whether or not the newbie can make history in his first year under center. But the thing that goes underrated is his silent responsibility to transition to a new era, and not just by the numbers.

Quinn Ewers is a very calm and composed player on the field. Nobody has ever seen the gentleman being high on his adrenaline and dishing some trash talk during a big game, even under sheer pressure. Certainly, it’s been cited as one of the greatest qualities of the former Horns QB. But that being said, it left his team on the meeker side of the competition, giving an underdog look unless and until they touch the victory stand. It’s a familiar pattern for Texas since the time of Colt McCoy, who has been widely known to adjust his aura in a quiet place on the sideline before any kickoff. Now, Arch Manning smells different. The kid has passion written in his genes.

“I put Sam Ellinger and Vince Young, kind of in the same category where it is out front, it is boisterous, yeah there is a little swagger; dare I say you crossed that line from swagger and confidence to co–iness at times, but that’s what those teams needed,” insider Jeff Howe added two more historic names to that typical modest players’ list who broke the barriers occasionally. Vince has been an underdog all his life. They all have big wins and lofty numbers under their belts but couldn’t set the tempo on fire, sabotaging the thin line between being good and great.

There are moments of exception, though, but the pattern remains the same. ‘‘You look at that team that Sam led to a Sugar Bowl win against Georgia; that’s kind of what that team needed…and you know we all know the stories about Vince and his leadership, so you look at those two styles, and I’m anxious to see what leadership style Arch takes on and what the personality of the team becomes with Arch Manning at quarterback,” Howe piped in hope to the highly touted Manning era.

Manning, coming from a blueblood family (graced by the all-time great Archie Manning, Eli Manning, and Peyton Manning), is committed to carrying the torch of the third generation of football royalty. Don’t mistake his patience during the backup era as his innate nature because it’s not. It was just his deep-seated loyalty to the school. Otherwise, the kid is more than comfortable navigating the brightest spotlight from the front line.

Coming to Quinn, his calmness is a gift from God, a fruit of his long-standing practice, and a reflection of his pious self. But do those qualities actually help him in the pros? Regardless, he’s having a tough time figuring out his fate in the current draft picture.

Quinn Ewers faced a blow in his post-combine draft prediction 

Ewers faced a lot of controversy when he decided to opt for the draft. Looking at his shredded years at Texas (derailed by injuries and multiple lackluster games), many veterans and fans believed he needed another year in college to steadfast his stock. But the QB phenom wasted no minutes and took the leap of faith.

At the 2025 NFL Combine, Ewers took the crowd by storm with a heroic performance, completing 16 of 22 passes during his throws, demonstrating pure class as a top future NFL quarterback. But despite the grit and success, the former ESPN analyst Todd McShay didn’t see him in a positive light during his post-combine mock draft list.

The McShay Show listed the top 32 players post-combine. The highly touted names such as Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, Tyler Warren, Ashton Jeanty, and Jalon Walker found themselves in the top 10, while Penn State’s Abdul Carter unmistakably rose to the top. Shedeur Sanders also managed to clinch his spot in the top 15. But the name of Quinn Ewers was nowhere on the list! It seems teams are still worried about the past woes of Ewers and don’t see him as a fit for an NFL team.

It will be interesting to see how Ewers’ fate pans out in the draft list finally and how Arch lives up to the hype in Texas! Two Texas gems stand in two parallels of their respective stories!