Arch Manning set to face cutthroat competition for starting QB position as Texas adds depth to their roster

The Texas Longhorns have added to their quarterback room to give depth to the position behind Arch Manning. While Manning will be the team's starter in 2025, Steve Sarkisian and Texas added another quarterback.

According to 247Sports, the Longhorns have landed former Troy starting QB Matthew Caldwell in the transfer portal. Caldwell will compete with redshirt freshman Trey Owens and freshman KJ Lacey for the backup job behind Manning.

Caldwell will now be playing for his fourth college football team. He began his college career at Jacksonville State for one year before transferring to Gardner-Webb for two seasons. Caldwell spent last season at Troy.

At Troy, Caldwell was the team's starting quarterback, going 141-for-223 for 1,608 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. He adds much-needed veteranship to the quarterback room, which features three young quarterbacks at Texas.

Arch Manning ready to be Texas' starting QB

Entering the 2025 college football season, Arch Manning is locked in as the Texas Longhorns' starting quarterback. Manning has spent the last two years behind Quinn Ewers in Texas.

“It was tough. I mean, it’s tough in this age,” Manning said of the waiting, via The Athletic. “But I hope it pays off. There’s nowhere else I want to be. I want to be at Texas. I’ve got friends here; I love this place. So I want to be the quarterback at the University of Texas. Sometimes it’s worth the wait.”

Manning enters his first season at Texas with plenty of hype as he has the best odds of winning the Heisman. He was also named the Longhorns' starting quarterback before spring practice even happened.

Expand Tweet

"I think he's ready for it, and I think he's ready for the moment," Sarkisian said during an appearance on Up & Adams... "We're in a good spot to have a pretty good football team, and it's gonna be even better knowing he's gonna be the guy for us."

In limited action in 2024, Manning threw for 939 yards, 9 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.

Arch Manning and Texas begin their 2025 college football season on August 30 against Ohio State. The Longhorns have notable games against Oklahoma, Georgia, Texas A&M, and Florida, among others.

About the author

Cole is an NHL, NFL and College Sports reporter at Sportskeeda with over 7 years of experience writing for publications like CBC, USA Today, SMG, BJPENN, Sherdog and SB Nation.

An NHL fan his whole life, Cole played rep hockey in Canada from age 5 until 17 and grew up rooting for Martin St. Louis and the Tampa Bay Lightning. His all-time favorite players are Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos, while Jon Cooper is his favorite coach of all time.

Cole attended Sheridan College and received his journalism degree in 2019. After decades of watching and reporting, he considers his knowledge of sports as his primary strength. He ensures that the same story has been reported by at least two reputed reporters before creating it.

Cole enjoys playing golf and spending time with friends and family when not reporting breaking stories. His favorite sports moment is from the 2010 Olympics, when Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime to beat Team USA for the gold medal.

Know More

Texas Longhorns Fan? Check out the latest Texas Longhorns depth chart, schedule, and roster updates all in one place.

Edited by Cole Shelton