The 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship is now set and done. With Ohio State claiming the crown, however, it’s never too early to look ahead to the next one, and several experts and analysts are viewing the Texas Longhorns as one of the major favorites to win next year’s championship!

However, amidst all this, there seems to be a bit of an “Arch Manning” problem at Texas. What? You might ask. Well, everyone knows that with Quinn Ewers now NFL-bound, it’s Manning’s time to shine under the spotlight. And that’s great news, the highly-rated quarterback has waited his turn and the Longhorns’ offense will be as good or even better as some might think. He’s been a great safety net for Ewers, but who’ll be his safety net?

Well, behind Manning is where the problem lies for the Longhorns. To be precise Texas lacks depth at the quarterback position as pointed out by Josh Newman of the Lonestarlive. This brings us to the question of should head coach Steve Sarkisian search for a more seasoned backup option behind Manning. At the moment, behind Manning are two highly rated quarterbacks, but with one glaring issue: both lack experience!

The Longhorns’ No. 2 is Trey Owens, who’s a redshirt freshman, and the next up is K.J. Lacey, who’s a four-star rated true freshman. If Sarkisian decides to look for a QB “Sarkisian would not be looking for a starter, but rather depth,” said Newman. With that being said, QBs in the transfer portal are looking to start, not be backups. So, to put it simply, if Manning is to miss some time under any circumstances, can Owens and Lacey fill Manning’s boots?

Are Trey Owens and K.J. Lacey ready to step up, if Manning is absent for a few games?

Arch Manning is predicted to lead the lines for the Longhorns for the next two seasons. If the season started today, Tret Owens would be the team’s No. 2. He’s a 6-foot-5, 220-pounder former four-star recruit from Houston Cypress-Fairbanks. Furthermore, Owens comes from a solid high school career, he threw 6,411 yards and a stellar 81 touchdowns with only 11 interceptions during his high school career.

Not only that, Sarkisian rates Owens. “Trey’s a natural passer,” he said last March. “And it definitely shows in practice. He has the ability to pass the football, he can make all the throws. There’s a lot coming at him right now after four practices (and) having all of the offense we’ve put in. But he does not get rattled that way. If anything, he gets a little hard on himself.” That’s some great praise coming from the Longhorns’ head coach.

Although Trey Owens just featured in two games and went 2-for-4 in passing, he seems to have a great future ahead of him. Moving on to K.J. Lacey, the first commitment for Texas of the class of 2025. The Alabama native signed after an incredible high school career. Moreover, Lacey threw 3,177 yards with 40 touchdowns, leading his school to its first state championship! “I’m going out there, going to compete first of all,” said the Longhorns newest recruit.

“And then after that, go do what I do out there on the field. I want to win a natty first of all. And then whatever comes after that.” Lacey aims to win big with his new team. They also have another strong recruit joining them in 2026 in Dia Bell, who’s already committed to the school ahead of other big schools. With that being said, it will be interesting to see if Owens and Lacey could pass the eye test and impress enough to a point that Sarkisian feels comfortable with them behind Manning. We’ll have to wait and watch, how this turns out.