It won’t be long before we see Arch Manning finally take his first snap as Texas’ QB1. It’s a role that has been in the works for him for 2 years now. And all this time, he diligently backed Quinn Ewers. Beneath the overwhelming wave of hype and excitement for Manning’s starting debut runs a parallel wave of criticism. Fans are hoping for Manning to bag all the awards that can possibly go to him and probably even go as a No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft. His decision to sit out behind Ewers all this time is seeing some from a national analyst. Carolina Panthers star Cam Newton also seconded this opinion.

Ewers outranked Manning in terms of seniority. But ever since Arch Manning signed with Texas in 2022, everyone wanted to see him dominate the Longhorns’ games. Manning in 2023 was the Bryce Underwood of 2025 – a high school football phenom, ready to start if need be. But Sarkisian stuck with Ewers, choosing to brave the hate that would come his way for not picking the more prolific Manning. The legacy QB also seemed to be in accordance with the decision of his coach, staying loyal to him despite losing a QB1 battle. 3 years after he left Ohio State for Texas, he is finally a starting QB.

Josh Pate was high on Manning dominating this season as Texas’s QB1. He said in a July 5 clip of his show, “I think Arch is going to be incredible. He’s got everything around him to be incredible.” He compared Manning to Trevor Lawrence at Clemson and Tua Tagovailoa at Alabama, who stunned college football with their first major seasons. “They’re just immediately ballers. And they fundamentally change every game they play in. They fundamentally change the conference title race, the playoff race,” he added.

Pate also had a word for critics who doubted Manning’s prowess because of his being a backup for 2 years. “I think there’s a whole lot more to it than that. I think Sark knew last year that Quinn Ewers was hurt but able to go. I think he trusted him; I think there was a loyalty factor there,” Pate noted. Sarkisian himself confirmed some time ago that he always had a plan for both Ewers and Manning. To him, it was important that Manning also learns from his seniors. Meanwhile, the QB also gave fans a taste of what he could bring to the table, amassing 939 yards and 9 TDs last year.

Pate also noted that Billy Napier went with Graham Mertz over DJ Lagway. It was only after he suffered an injury that Lagway was able to become the phenom he is today. The analyst reconfirmed that Manning has the potential to dazzle college football. “Arch Manning could be incredible this year. I’m not going to look at Steve Sarkeesian in retrospect and say, ‘How could he have not played him last year?’ There’s a lot that goes into that.” Pate also noted that if Manning does cause doubt within him, it wouldn’t be because of the fact that he failed to win the QB1 races in the past. Cam Newton, too, echoed the same thoughts.

Cam Newton supports Arch Manning’s career track

The Panthers phenom began his career at Florida and then eventually finished at Auburn. Newton gave his best in his last year with the Tigers, where he hauled in 2,854 yards and 30 TDs. He said in an episode of his podcast, 4 & 1, “A lot of these parents and a lot of these players get so jaded off of the fact that ‘hey, I’m trying to play early.’ No no no no no no, scratch that,” he declared boldly. If you compare both Newton’s and Manning’s career trajectories, they’re in the same position when it comes to winning a starting position.

“Go somewhere that after three years you can put yourself in a position to go to the league. That doesn’t mean that I’m going somewhere where I can play early or start. Just because you’re starting doesn’t mean you’re getting developed,” Newton added. The QB began his career at Florida, where he backed up Tim Tebow. Controversy aside, he won the starting job at Blinn, taking the program to an NJCAA championship in 2009. At Auburn, his heroics continued. He won the Heisman trophy and was the No. 1 pick in the 2011 draft—two things that are also heavily associated with Manning’s ongoing career arc.

And Newton thinks Manning sure has learned a lot sitting behind Ewers as backup. “Arch will be a fool if he has not learned anything from Quinn Ewers. How he prepared, how he led his team, and just how he handled and managed the expectations for being the quarterback at a university like Texas,” Newton said. Arch Manning will unleash his full strength this year, after two patient years of sitting out behind Quinn Ewers. The doubts about him not living up to the hype still circle the QB. But he is bound to prove them wrong, if not stun them with his brilliance this season.