Quinn Ewers was back for a third year with hopes of leading Texas to a title, winning a Heisman Trophy and boosting his draft stock. Arch Manning, on the other hand, hails from the most famous quarterback family in existence and is a former five-star as well.

Not long after Ohio State beat Texas in the Cotton Bowl to end the 2024 season for the Longhorns, Texas QB Arch Manning was already thinking ahead to 2025. Manning played mostly in a reserve role for Texas the past two seasons.

Ewers became one of just four quarterbacks to lead the Longhorns to a Big 12 Championship alongside Young, McCoy, and James Brown. By getting the Horns to an SEC Championship in their first year in the conference, Ewers became the first-ever Texas quarterback to lead his team to back-to-back conference title games.