Texas Longhorns fans look forward to the start of the Arch Manning Era in 2025, but don't want Quinn Ewers to go away

AUSTIN, Texas – Hours before more than 102,850 fans clad in bright orange and white entered Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, the famous voice of the Longhorns held court outside the locker room from which he would commentate on the game a few hours later.

Craig Way, with his distinctive sing-song voice that has guided Texas fans through the ups and downs for over 30 years, reflected on what Arch Manning's highly anticipated first start would mean for the program.

“I think it's a preview of what Longhorn fans can expect from him in the future,” Way said. “Although the time will come for Quinn (Ewers) to return to the job.”

The era of Texas football that Manning's team found itself in had not yet begun Saturday, even though the media coverage of college football at large suggested it had. Texas vs. ULM may have been limited to ESPN+, but that couldn't prevent a week-long Manning-related content blitzkrieg — though you can't blame an editor for feeding the beast — debating and raving about the quarterback with the most famous last name in sports.

On a 95-degree September day, Texas fans largely agreed with the assertion that there was no real quarterback competition as they gathered at tailgates and along Bevo Boulevard before kickoff.

George Ramirez is a lifelong Texas fan. “Forever,” he says when asked how long he's been rooting for the Horns. He came to the game wearing an Arch Manning jersey with the number 16 and a giant Longhorn chain that stretched from his neck to above Manning's numbers.

He followed Manning's recruitment and bought an official Manning jersey as soon as he could. “But that thing sat in the closet for about two years,” Ramirez said, laughing.

Ramirez wears a Quinn Ewers jersey every other week and fully expects Ewers to take over the job when he returns.

“(Quinn) is the one at the helm, and it's Quinn Ewers' team.”

Nearby, Dylan Woollard, a junior studying finance, stands next to Smokey The Cannon, which the Texas Cowboys fan group fires after every Longhorns hit. The Cowboys are a charitable organization that's more than 100 years old. Woollard is a member. He said Manning is, too.

Active players aren't usually allowed to participate in firing the cannon; Colt McCoy memorably did so during his final lap around DKR during Senior Night in 2009. But Woollard and every other member of the Cowboys are thrilled to see one of their own on the field.

“We have some personal connection, which is always exciting,” Woollard said. “But Arch always fires up the crowd. You can hear it yourself when you come to the stadium. I'm excited. I don't think this is going to be permanent. I don't think he's taking the QB1 spot away from Quinn in any way.”

Everyone had this kind of qualification on Saturday.

Maybe they're looking to the top players, as Steve Sarkisian, head coach of the Longhorns, said of Ewers this week: “All the goals he had and that we set for him at the beginning of this season still apply to him. I think we have a national championship-level team and he's the quarterback of the team.”

The Manning family, as it has since Arch's secret high school recruitment, seems content for Manning to avoid the spotlight as much as possible. Arch rarely gave interviews as a high school athlete, and his family rarely grants them. When family patriarch Archie Manning requested an interview on Saturday, he politely declined.

“I had so many interview requests this week and couldn't accept them all – so I didn't do any.”

When Way thinks about the hyped quarterbacks from Texas over the past 30 years, he can only compare this Ewers/Manning situation to the famous quarterback controversy involving Major Applewhite/Chris Simmons. Applewhite was the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. Chris Simms was the son of an NFL legend and the best quarterback of the 1999 class.

The Simms-Applewhite battle somehow defined an entire generation of Longhorn football and even caused division in the locker room. There are no such problems this time.

“Immediately there was this back and forth and there was a controversy,” Way said of Applewhite versus Simms. “That doesn't exist right now. That's Quinn's team. Arch respects it and likes it that way and is happy to continue to learn.”

Grant Pinkerton, a Longhorns graduate, is the grill master at Texas barbecue giant Pinkerton's and is on Forbes' 30 Under 30 list. He often serves barbecue to the Longhorns – mainly to the big guys who protect the quarterback.

Pinkerton came to Texas in 2007 and says he can't remember a player who was as hyped as Manning. Maybe Vince Young. As for Manning's first start, Pinkerton sees him as a welcome change. Playing against a team like Louisiana Monroe used to not be a given, at least not in the post-Mack Brown era (and at least in the fatalistic minds of Longhorn fans). Now, those games are an opportunity for young players like Manning to get reps without fear that something could go horribly wrong.

“To be good is a luxury,” said Pinkerton.

Dick Perrone may have followed Texas football longer than anyone else on Saturday afternoon campus. He started selling Coca-Colas at DKR at age 11 and graduated from the school in 1967. He played poker with program legend James Street – a perfect 20-0 as Texas' starting quarterback – on 6th Street, a famous party district in downtown Austin.

Perrone, like everyone else, is fascinated by the hype surrounding Manning. But he wonders what could happen if something ever goes wrong.

“The Manning name carries a lot of weight here,” Perrone said. “They clap and go crazy when he comes out. I'd hate to see him make a mistake. They don't believe he can do it.”

It's fair to say that Manning's big moment came a little earlier than anyone expected – even the merch shop before DKR.

A fan, David Thompson, asked an employee, “Where are the Arch jerseys?” There were none in stock, just a few T-shirts hidden in the back corner of the store.

Thompson, a 2008 graduate, came to the game with his family. He wanted to be part of history.

“I have the program that will be his first start,” Thompson said. “So I'm going to get the rookie card, the program (and the jersey). I have a picture of my ticket and I'm going to tape everything up and frame it.”

“Because he will definitely be number 1.”

Indeed a hype.

Manning entered the stadium wearing a dark blue suit, high-fiving a few kids along the way and yelling “Big 'ol Arch!” Every time his face appeared on the big screen before the game, the crowd went wild. The biggest cheer came when a fan was shown holding up a giant poster of Manning's now famous student ID, Archibald Manning, which he lost just days into his stint in Austin.

Everything is bigger in Texas. Even your former student ID, at least if you're Arch.

Finally, Manning walked out of the tunnel, to great cheers of course, and his first start began. But it didn't really feel like the start of anything. Everyone knows Manning is coming. But on Saturday, it mostly felt like a big Hollywood trailer for a movie that will be in theaters next year.

Coming to a stadium near you next fall: Arch Manning.

“It feels like the future,” Ramirez said.

MORE: Recap Arch Manning's first career start on our live updates page