5 Arch Manning transfer destinations if Quinn Ewers returns to Texas
Arch Manning could transfer from the Texas Longhorns. It's not certain and it's may not even be likely.
But it is possible thanks to the latest rumors surrounding current starting quarterback Quinn Ewers.
According to reports, Ewers is considering returning for the 2024 season after another injury-plagued campaign in Austin. Some indications are that's even the likely outcome right now. The plan when Steve Sarkisian won the Arch Manning sweepstakes was always for the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2023 class to redshirt this season but, with Ewers assumed to depart for the NFL after the 2023 season, the reins would then be handed to Manning.
Should Ewers return, though, that throws a massive wrench into those plans. Would Manning be willing to sit another year, or would he then enter the transfer portal? The latter seems plausible for the quarterback to actually get on the field somewhere as opposed to sitting behind Ewers for another full season.
If Arch Manning were to enter the transfer portal, though, where would he end up? We have some ideas about possible destinations for the former 5-star and Manning family legacy.
5. Auburn Tigers could get things rolling landing Arch Manning transfer
For the most part, it's probably advantageous when considering the possibility of Arch Manning transferring to look at the programs that recruited him out of high school. Those preexisting connections with coaching staffs are incredibly important. At the same time, though, that's not entirely the way to judge the hypothetical process.
Three of the leading contenders to land the 5-star before he signed with Texas were Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. With the evolution of Jalen Milroe in Tuscaloosa, Manning would be going there to sit. The same could be said of Georgia if Carson Beck returns to Athens in 2024, but even if not, 5-star Dylan Raiola is on his way there in the 2024 class. As for the Vols, they landed another 5-star QB in 2023 with Nico Iamaleava.
That, in turn, would potentially open a small doorway for a program like the Auburn Tigers to poke their heads in and make some noise.
Auburn was not involved in the rat race that was Manning's initial recruitment, which is probably more of an indictment of Bryan Harsin than anything. Now with Hugh Freeze, who has a tremendous track record with maximizing quarterback play in his offense, that could change the calculus with the Tigers.
As we've seen throughout the 2023 season, quarterback is something that Auburn has to figure out. This program has a ton of upside, especially with a coach like Freeze at the helm. But busting down the door and crashing the Arch Manning party would be a shot of adrenaline to the Tigers akin to Pulp Fiction.