RJ Young recently broke down the offseason quarterback competition ongoing for Texas in the spring. However, he pushed back a bit on the idea of the Longhorns having a true competition for the starting QB spot.

According to Young, he gives Quinn Ewers a giant leg up in the competition due to his experience and time spent winning over the locker room for a year:

“Now you’re talking about a true freshman quarterback whose last name is the biggest part of him as the guy that’s going to compete with Quinn Ewers for the job. I have not actually thought this is a competition in the same way I don’t think (Ohio State’s) Kyle McCord and Devin Brown is a competition,” explained Young. “I think one guy’s got a year head start, I think one guy’s started football, I think one guy’s thrown passes, I think one guy has the locker room.”

At the end of the day, Young understands why head coach Steve Sarkisian labeled things as an open competition for the Longhorns. However, Young believes that was probably just to appease the family of Arch Manning.

“You’re going to have to do a lot to demonstrate you can beat out Quinn Ewers, but I know Steve Sarkisian needed to say this out loud, if for no other reason than to appease the Mannings,” Young said. “You’re probably not going to let Arch go there if Steve Sarkisian says ‘Nah, you’re going to sit no matter what.'”

Here is Young’s full take on the situation:

Outlook for the Longhorns

The QB battle for Texas truly is one of the national storylines heading into the 2023 season. Ewers and Manning were both No. 1 recruits coming out of high school, though experience is bound to play a factor in the process.

In that area, Ewers does have a leg up with over 2,100 passing yards and 16 total touchdowns during the 2022 season. We’ll see if he does enough to hold onto the job or if Manning makes a push to start as a true freshman.