Manning gets his shot at starting on Saturday

Five touchdowns, 276 total yards, and a burst of speed that his famous uncles could only dream of.

Arch Manning’s first extended look as a college football quarterback was one of the biggest stories of Week 3, and anyone eager to see what he’ll do for an encore won’t have to wait long. On Thursday, head coach Steve Sarkisian officially named Manning the starter for Saturday’s game against UL Monroe, with Quinn Ewers still recovering from the oblique injury that sidelined him last weekend against UTSA.

Manning entered in the second quarter of the Longhorns’ 56-7 win last Saturday, throwing the first of his four touchdown passes on his first play from scrimmage. He added a 67-yard rushing score before halftime, reaching a top speed of 20.7 miles per hour – a rate that topped Tyreek Hill’s high of 20.3 last season with the Miami Dolphins.

“Arch is more than capable, as I think we all know,” head coach Steve Sarkisian said in his call with the media on Thursday. “It’s different when you’re a starting quarterback, as opposed to coming in cold off the bench as a backup. Different challenge for him, but I know he’ll be more than ready to operate and play football at a high level for us.”

After UL Monroe, top-ranked Texas opens its SEC schedule on Sept. 28 against Mississippi State, with what are expected to be its two toughest games of the season immediately after – against Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry on Oct. 12, and home date with Georgia a week later.

The expectation is that Ewers should be back within the next few weeks, and Sarkisian didn’t offer hints of any unrest in Texas’ quarterback room.

“All the goals that [Ewers] had, and that we had for him coming into this season are all still there for him,” Sarkisian said. “I think we have a national championship-calibre team, and he’s the quarterback of that team.”

For now, there’s no sign of a quarterback controversy, and Ewers – by all accounts – has no reason to look over his shoulder.

But on Saturday, it’s Arch’s turn.

In addition to Manning, there’s a handful of other freshmen – a mix of both redshirt and true first-year players –  who are taking college football by storm early this season.

Nico Iamaleava, Quarterback, Tennessee

2024 stats (Three games): 71.6 completion percentage, 698 passing yards, 6 TD, 2 INT

Like Manning, Iamaleava is a redshirt freshman after spending last year on Tennessee’s roster but maintaining his status by playing in less than four regular-season games. He was the standout in the Vols’ win over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl, accounting for four total touchdowns in a 35-0 blowout.

Iamaleava can no longer be considered a Heisman sleeper after Tennessee’s 3-0 start, which has come with a +191 point-differential – an SEC record through three weeks. His numbers are even a little tempered, having only played in the first half in two of the Vols’ three wins. Not that Iamaleava has limited himself when he’s on the field – against Kent State last Saturday, he led nine touchdown drives in nine attempts in the first two quarters, and Tennessee’s 65 points before halftime were the most in program history, and the most by an FBS program in at least 20 years.

Dylan Raiola, Quarterback, Nebraska

2024 stats (Three games): 73.8 completion percentage, 670 passing yards, 5 TD, 1 INT

Raiola’s affinity for Patrick Mahomes has gone viral, and though his numbers aren’t quite at an MVP level, he’s shown an ability to make the type of off-platform throws that have helped make Kansas City’s superstar so rare.

Under Raiola, Nebraska has gone from a Big Ten afterthought to a playoff contender. After seven straight losing seasons, the Cornhuskers are 3-0 and currently ranked 22nd in the nation – their highest spot since 2016.

Raiola easily handled the biggest test of his young career, disposing of Shedeur Sanders and Colorado in a nationally televised game in Week 2. The real tests begin this week, when Nebraska opens its conference schedule on Friday night – a slate that includes a visit to Ohio State on Oct. 26.

Jeremiah Smith, Wide Receiver, Ohio State

2024 stats (Two games): 11 catches, 211 receiving yards, 3 TD

Smith’s 211 receiving yards are the most through two games by a true freshman in Buckeyes’ history, and his three touchdowns already match what Marvin Harrison Jr. put up in his entire first season in Columbus. Six more touchdowns, and Smith will eclipse Hall of Famer Cris Carter for the most ever by a true freshman in Ohio State history.

What Smith did with ease against Akron and Western Michigan may be tougher to come by moving forward – aside from next month’s meeting with Raiola and Nebraska, the Buckeyes have matchups with Oregon and Penn State, as well as Michigan’s still-vaunted defence in the season finale at The Horseshoe.

Ryan Williams, Wide Receiver, Alabama

2024 stats (Three games): 10 catches, 285 receiving yards, 4 TD

Williams is just the second Alabama player in the past 25 years to catch at least one touchdown in each of the first three games, a feat that’s all the more spectacular considering he’s the youngest player in the FBS at just 17 years old.

Williams scored on both of his receptions in his college debut against Western Kentucky – including an 84-yard hookup with Jalen Milroe – earning SEC Freshman of the Week honours in Week 1.

Eli Holstein, Quarterback, Pittsburgh

2024 stats (Three games): 67.6 completion percentage, 936 passing yards, 9 TD, 2 INT

Holstein falls into the same category as Manning and Iamaleava, having redshirted his freshman season in 2023. The difference: Holstein actually transferred to Pitt in January, after not seeing the field in his first year at Alabama.

Holstein has emerged as a star this season, leading the Panthers back from double-digit deficits in the fourth quarter of each of their past two games against Cincinnati and West Virginia. With Florida State having fallen off the map and Clemson showing some early cracks, Holstein is positioning Pitt to contend in a wide-open ACC.