Texas' Maalik Murphy to Start over Arch Manning vs. BYU with Quinn Ewers Out Injured

Texas will start redshirt freshman Maalik Murphy at quarterback for Saturday's game against BYU with Quinn Ewers recovering from a shoulder injury.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian announced on Thursday Murphy would be making his first career start for the seventh-ranked Longhorns.

Sarkisian went on to say he hasn't decided if Arch Manning, the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2023 class, will take snaps against BYU.

Ewers suffered his shoulder injury in the third quarter of last week's 31-24 win over Houston. Sarkisian told reporters on Monday his star quarterback would officially be designated as week to week.

Per Anwar Richardson of OrangeBloods.com, Ewers was diagnosed with a sprained AC joint and there is "optimism" he will be able to return this season.

Murphy finished the game against Houston after Ewers left with the injury. The California native only threw two passes, completing one for seven yards. He's 4-of-8 for 47 yards in four appearances overall this season.

Despite the hype around Manning's decision to commit to Texas in December 2022, Sarkisian hasn't used him in a game this season. Some of this is due to the strength of their quarterback room.

Ewers was the No. 1 prospect in the country coming out of high school in 2021 after reclassifying. He spent his freshman year at Ohio State but entered the transfer portal after the season. The Texas native committed to the Longhorns on Dec. 12, 2021.

In his first season at Texas, Ewers threw for 2,177 yards and 15 touchdowns in 10 games. He led the program to an 8-5 record, including wins over Oklahoma and Kansas State.

Manning and Murphy were listed as the primary backups to Ewers on the Longhorns' official depth chart coming into this season.

Ewers led Texas to a 5-0 start, including a 34-24 win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa, and the No. 3 spot in the Associated Press Top 25 poll at one point. The Longhorns' 34-30 loss to Oklahoma on Oct. 7 dropped them down to eighth in the rankings.

Last week's victory over Houston moved Texas up one spot to No. 7 in the latest AP Top 25 poll.

The Longhorns (3-1 in conference play) are currently tied with Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Iowa State for second place in the Big 12. Oklahoma leads the way with a 4-0 record in conference games.