The 2025 season is set to mark the beginning of the Arch Manning era in Texas, but head coach Steve Sarkisian has already signed an experienced quarterback before the season starts. Despite Manning being the obvious choice to start at QB for Texas next season, Sarkisian secured Troy’s Mathew Caldwell’s commitment from the transfer portal.
Last Season, Caldwell started the final five games. He completed 63.2% of his pass attempts for 1,608 yards and 13 touchdowns, compared to eight interceptions. He also recorded five rushing touchdowns. Sarkisian has explained why Caldwell was brought in.
Steve Sarkisian Reveals Why He Brought in a New QB
The signing of Caldwell raised signals in some areas about what’s going on with Manning’s expected plan to start at quarterback next season. Manning started two games last year with Quinn Ewers out due to injuries, and he showed why he’s highly rated. With Ewers gone to the NFL, Manning’s set to be handed the keys to the Longhorns’ offense.
Mathew Caldwell was brought in by Sarkisian as depth and cover in case of an injury as opposed to challenging Manning for a spot. The plan hasn’t changed yet, and Manning is still expected to start for the Longhorns. When asked why he brought in a new QB, Sarkisian replied,
“We’ve had four straight years where our starting QB’s gone down. We’ve got two young, talented guys, but adding an older, experienced QB puts us in the best spot for a long season. You need depth to survive 17 games.”
Steve Sarkisian on adding QB Matthew Caldwell: “We’ve had four straight years where our starting QB’s gone down. We’ve got two young, talented guys, but adding an older, experienced QB puts us in the best spot for a long season. You need depth to survive 17 games.” pic.twitter.com/EVKaTh2ENd
— Anwar Richardson (@AnwarRichardson) May 27, 2025
Manning has been healthy for most of his time at Texas, but the head coach isn’t taking any chances. Depth in the quarterback position allows Texas to remain competitive, regardless of who’s under center. Sarkisian learned this hard lesson in previous seasons when injuries struck his starting quarterback.
Recently, Sarkisian made a bold prediction that we might have seen the last unbeaten champion in college football.
The 2023 Michigan team was the last to achieve such a feat, with the Wolverines going 15-0, emerging victorious from a four-team College Football Playoff. The playoffs have now been expanded, and this year’s champions will play at least 16 games.
KEEP READING: 2025 Way-Too-Early College Football Top 25 Power Rankings
Now, with a 12-team playoff in place and a bigger playoff likely on the horizon, national champions play more than 15 games.
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