USATSI

Texas hosts its annual Orange vs. White spring game on Saturday, April 15, in Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. For all the questions facing the program, the quarterback battle is taking center stage.

There's a case to be made from a recruiting pedigree perspective that the Longhorns are holding the highest-profile quarterback battle of all time. Freshman Arch Manning boasts the famous name and became the first No. 1 overall player to sign with Texas since Vince Young in 2002. Somehow, Ewers' recruiting pedigree was even better: He was the first passer attending any school to earn a perfect 1.0000 in the 247Sports Composite ratings since, again, Vince Young.

"They're at different stages of their career, right?" Texas coach Steve Sarkisian told CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd. "Quinn's been here for a year. He's played games; he's been in the system. What he's working on is different than what Arch has been working on. [Arch] has had six spring practices."

Manning and Ewers will publicly vie for the first time on the turf on Saturday. Redshirt freshman Maalik Murphy, a blue-chip in his own right, also has a chance to steal the show. Few quarterback rooms have boasted the level of recruiting talent Texas will have this upcoming season; can Sarkisian handle the pressure?

Here's everything you need to know about what to watch when Texas' quarterbacks take the field in their spring game on Saturday.

Why to watch Manning

See the last name: Manning. The Manning family is the safest bet in football. Uncles Peyton and Eli Manning each won two Super Bowls at the NFL level and the Maxwell Award in college. Patriarch Arch Manning was the SEC Player of the Year in 1969, and his No. 18 is retired at Ole Miss. Now, Arch comes to campus as perhaps the most heralded of the group -- not just as the No. 1 overall recruit in this cycle, but as one of the top recruits in history.

Manning was the first freshman quarterback to start at Isidore Newman (LA) in 40 years, so don't expect much fear. He went on to break every quarterback record set by his uncles at the school and ultimately threw for more than 8,500 yards and 100 touchdowns in four years. He was also a surprisingly versatile runner during his time at Newman.

"In addition to possessing all the physical tools desired at the quarterback position, Manning plays the game with exceptional intuition and awareness, showing the ability to command navigate the game at a very high level," 247Sports national recruiting analyst Cooper Petagna wrote of Manning, who "figures to be prepared to make an immediate impact at the next level."

Why to watch Ewers

If early reports from camp are to be believed, Ewers has improved mightily from his inconsistent debut effort. In addition to getting healthier after his shoulder injury against Alabama, Ewers has been more locked in and has made better decisions.

The flashes were there in spades early in the year. Before getting hurt against Alabama, Ewers threw for more than 120 yards in the first quarter and would have added a touchdown if not for a Xavier Worthy drop. He threw four scores against a hapless Oklahoma team in a 49-0 beatdown. Those displays alone were enough to earn Ewers national acclaim.

The second half of the season was admittedly brutal, but that's to be expected for a player who had not thrown a pass in two years with the shoulder injuries Ewers faced. Accuracy issues were a constant for Ewers in the latter half of the year, which was a stark difference from his high school and early college tape. If he is fully healthy, expect those to subside.

When Ewers is on, he is the prototypical modern quarterback. He has elite ball placement and the ability to adjust to pressure and throw on the run. If he can settle down and get the accuracy issues under control -- and if Texas can consistently find playmakers, which has been inconsistent during the Sarkisian era -- Ewers still has plenty of time to live up to his lofty hype.

Don't count out Murphy

At one time, redshirt freshman Maalik Murphy was seen as a potential future at the quarterback position. When he committed to Texas in February 2021, Murphy was rated the No. 31 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite and a potential five-star prospect before injuries hurt his stock.

Murphy has struggled to stay healthy at Texas and missed the beginning of spring game with a leg injury. However, he has been a full participant for the past three weeks and caught the attention of pass catchers with his arm strength and growth.

"Maalik has a freakin' cannon," tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders said, per 247Sports. "He's slingin' that ball for sure. He's young, but he's starting to mature. He's starting to understand more. He's been on Quinn's hip. Quinn's got a year under his belt, and Maalik's starting to do the things Quinn does, and that's going to bring him a long way."

If Ewers hangs onto the starting job as expected, Murphy will make a strong case to beat out Manning for the backup, potentially allowing Manning to redshirt. Sarkisian has been forced to rotate quarterbacks each of the past two years because of injuries, so if Murphy stays on schedule, he should get his chance.

A team strength only got stronger during the summer when Texas Longhorns defensive tackle Byron Murphy II arrived on campus to provide increased depth and another pass-rushing option for position coach Bo Davis.

Murphy quickly made an impression on his teammates before translating his potential into production in preseason camp as he emerges as a player who will demand playing time this fall despite the surplus of options for Davis.

At Big 12 Media Days in July, the buzz around Murphy started when junior nose tackle Keondre Coburn fielded a question about him.

“Man, I was just telling somebody about him,” Coburn said. “Oh, he really reminded me of Aaron Donald in a way, probably not the fastest like Aaron Donald, but that dude right there is by far the strongest person, just like he ate a dog. He’s like a real pit bull. That’s the comparison to a human pit bull right there. He’s strong and he wants to work — he comes every day working hard.”

Murphy continued to impress Coburn into preseason camp, with the big Texas nose tackle speculating that the 6’1, 297-pounder could become one of the best defensive tackles to play for the Longhorns.

Already one of the best pass rushers in the defensive line room, Murphy won so many one-on-one reps in the early portion of preseason camp that Coburn claimed he hadn’t lost any at all.

But Coburn isn’t the only player to mention Murphy — in interviews with Orangebloods last week, redshirt freshman center Jake Majors and senior linebacker DeMarvion Overshown both praised Murphy for his efforts in practice. Overshown called Murphy “a stud” and predicted big things this year for the former Baylor commit.

Murphy’s recruitment moved quickly last fall — a summer pledge to the Bears. he decommitted from Baylor and committed to Texas on the same day that he received his offer from the Longhorns in November.

A strong senior season helped convince the former Texas staff to extend that offer. At one time a linebacker who outgrew the position, Murphy started playing on DeSoto’s varsity as a sophomore before taking a big leap as a junior, recording 98 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks while forcing four fumbles. As a senior, Murphy’s overall tackles dropped to 78, but he was even more disruptive, notching 22 tacklers for loss and 14 sacks.

Playing next to five-star prospect Shemar Turner, Murphy’s production never turned into the lofty recruiting rankings afforded to Turner, as Murphy finished the cycle as a consensus three-star prospect ranked as the No. 400 player nationally and the No. 50 defensive lineman, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

But as BON’s Daniel Seahorn wrote at the time of Murphy’s signing in December, Murphy’s film was impressive enough that the major limiting factor is his height. Listed at 6’1, Murphy is on the short side for a defensive tackle, but it might actually be an advantage for him — he has the mass and strength necessary to hold up at the point of attack, even against double teams, because it’s difficult for offensive linemen to get under Murphy’s pads.

With a stocky build, Murphy has plenty of power through his upper body and lower body, much like former Texas standout Roy Miller, and enough athleticism to combine with a strong motor and allow Murphy to make plays on the perimeter.

The presence of Coburn and junior T’Vondre Sweat means that Horns have two extremely capable options at nose tackle already, but Murphy is clearly pushing them for playing time and should get some early opportunities to prove why his teammates are so bullish on his future.

Arch Manning, famous nephew of two of the NFL’s all-time quarterbacks, Payton and Eli Manning, was graciously welcomed with a standing ovation for his debut in the orange and white on Saturday in Texas’ spring game on Saturday.

Manning, the son of Cooper, completed his first pass in the final minutes of the first quarter to wide receiver Thatcher Milton, to which was well accepted in Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium.

Texas fans and coaches got a first look at the players who may be leading the Longhorns for the 2023 season, and Manning didn’t help his case to be one of them with his play Saturday.

In early March, Longhorn coach Steve Sarkisian openly spoke about the stakes against the prized freshman, explaining he will have to compete against sophomore Quinn Ewers for the quarterback role, who completed 16-for-23 for 195 yards and one touchdown.

He was named the starter by Sarkisian after the game.

But Texas’ other freshman quarterback stole the show Saturday.

Maalik Murphy, a redshirt freshman who was ranked No. 17 overall in the state of California by ESPN, tossed a 79-yard scoring throw to freshman wideout Johntay Cook during the third quarter.

He threw for 165 yards during the game, while Manning — who did have an impressive first-down run — end up with 30 passing yards on 13 pass attempts.

Sarkisian wasn’t ready to announce the rest of his QB pecking order.

“We have another 29 practices to go in fall camp,” he told reporters after. “I think to be fair to all these guys, you know, like Maalik, that was his first spring that he’s ever had. He didn’t get spring a year ago. And of that, he missed the first about five practices before he really was able to go in team drills. So what does that look like moving forward?

“Arch — those are his first 15 practices of his life in college. So sometimes we can rush to judgment on where guys are at.”

Ewers transferred from Ohio State and started 10 games last year for Texas, recording 2,177 yards for 15 touchdowns and six interceptions, and compiling 7.4 passing yards per attempt.

While he was one of the most sought-after recruits at No. 5 overall by ESPN, Manning is adjusting to the college environment and game play but impressing his coach in the process.

“He’s doing well, give him a lot of credit,” Sarkisian told the Longhorn Network prior to Saturday’s game. “It hasn’t been perfect. He’s throwing interceptions like every freshman quarterback would. He’s made misreads. He’s lost his ID twice on campus.

Texas football is hot on the recruiting trail this summer in the 2024 class, landing nearly a dozen commitments in the last few weeks. After Texas’ momentum on the recruiting trail in the 2024 class exploded in the last month or so, head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff are up to 13 commitments.

Sark and the Longhorns staff are still a good way from being done with the 2024 class, as the finishing touches for this group will likely be put in place during the Early Signing Period.

Texas will also likely put some recruits on commitment watch currently pledged to other schools in the 2024 class. Flipping recruits will always be something to watch for the Longhorns on the recruiting trail during the fall.

In this day and age of college football recruiting, high school prospects like to commit before their senior season. That way, they can sign and enroll early during the Early Signing Period to not worry about waiting until the late signing day in February and then enrolling during the summer of the following year.

Biggest flips ever for Texas football recruiting

That is one big reason flips are more abundant than ever in college football recruiting. But flips were a part of recruiting in the sport for a couple of decades. Here’s a look at five of the biggest flips in Longhorns’ recruiting history.

Texas receives a commitment from 2021 Desoto DT Byron Murphy, who decommitted from Baylor earlier this morning. Big pickup for Texas. #HookEm https://t.co/JKmMCexOOO

— HornSports (@HornSports) November 18, 2020

Byron Murphy II, DL

A late addition to the 2021 recruiting class for the Longhorns arrived just before the Early Signing Period, when the former four-star recruit out of DeSoto (TX) High School, defensive lineman Byron Murphy II, flipped from the Baylor Bears. Texas and former defensive line coach Mark Hagen flipped Murphy from Baylor on Nov. 18, 2020.

Murphy has outplayed his recruiting ranking as a low four-star in the 2021 class. He is one of the most productive players for the Longhorns from the 2021 class, and he’s far from done on the Forty Acres.

In just two seasons at Texas, Murphy has played nearly 700 defensive snaps while registering more than 40 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, 31 quarterback pressures, and 28 defensive stops. Murphy’s best is in front of him as he is set to have a huge season this fall.

It’s also worth noting that Murphy was one of the five highest-graded interior defensive linemen in the Big 12 last season as just a sophomore.

Next: No. 4

BENTONVILLE, Ark.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Santa’s sleigh may not be the only thing seen flying in the skies of Texas. Walmart’s drone delivery service is now available for select customers in the Dallas-area. The new delivery option will be fulfilled from 11 stores, making it easier than ever for customers to grab those last-minute gifts. No assistance from Rudolph needed.

This marks the first time customers in Texas can take advantage of Walmart’s drone delivery, following the retailer’s earlier announcement of plans to expand its DroneUp network to reach four million additional households across 6 states, including Texas. From last minute meal solutions to a package of Christmas cookies, Walmart has successfully executed thousands of same-day drone deliveries to date.

“Drone delivery makes it possible for our customers to shop those last-minute or forgotten items with ease, in a package that’s frankly really cool. Being on the forefront of that innovation at Walmart is something we’re proud of,” said Vik Gopalakrishnan, vice president, innovation & automation, Walmart U.S. “It may seem like a futuristic option, but it’s giving our customers what they’ve always wanted, and that’s time back to focus on what is most important to them.”

Here's how it works:

Customers living within a mile of a participating store can place orders through www.droneupdelivery.com between the hours of 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. local time. Drones can deliver more than 10,000 eligible Walmart items up to ten pounds, including fragile items like eggs, in as little as 30 minutes. There are no order minimums and the delivery fee is just $3.99. With use of promo code FreeDeliveryTX, customers using drone delivery for the first time will have the delivery fee waived. Once the items are packaged and loaded into the drone, the order is then delivered using a cable that gently lowers the package into the customer’s yard.

Drone delivery is now offered from these stores in Texas:

To celebrate, Walmart and DroneUp joined Piedmont G.L.O.B.A.L. Academy in Southern Dallas this morning to host a hands-on drone flight and delivery demo alongside simulated activities for Advanced via Individual Determination (AVID) students. Walmart presented the school with a donation of $5,000 and graphing calculators for the classroom.

“We are thankful to Walmart and DroneUp for investing in our scholars and providing an enlightening experience,” said Principal Letrice Portley. “This donation will absolutely put these students on the path to success, showcasing the powerful impact community-school partnerships have on the lives of our future leaders, thinkers and innovators.”

In partnership with DroneUp, Walmart will offer drone delivery in five other states in addition to Texas by the end of the year, including: Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Utah and Virginia. In total, there will be 34 stores making drone delivery available in 23 cities nationwide by year end.

“Our mission is to set the gold standard for drone delivery and by partnering with Walmart, bring the incredible benefits that drones offer to local communities, organizations, and businesses,” said Tom Walker, CEO of DroneUp. “Our approach is unique; we practice safety above all else and incorporate state-of-the-art technology. Our strong relationship with the FAA has also been critical to our success as we build an infrastructure that supports growth and great career programs for operators now and in the future.”

DroneUp deliveries are powered by a team of certified pilots operating within FAA guidelines to safely manage flight operations. Deliveries will be made to the safest location of the customer’s home, such as in the front or backyard or driveway. Customers can check if drone delivery is available to their homes by visiting www.droneupdelivery.com.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better - anytime and anywhere - in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, approximately 230 million customers and members visit more than 10,500 stores and numerous eCommerce websites under 46 banners in 24 countries. With fiscal year 2022 revenue of $573 billion, Walmart employs approximately 2.3 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at twitter.com/walmart and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/walmart.

About Walmart in Texas

Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online and through their mobile devices. In Texas we serve customers at 593 retail units and online through Walmart Online Grocery and Walmart.com. We are proud to employ 185,009 associates in Texas. Walmart supports local businesses, spending $76.6 billion with Texas suppliers in fiscal year 2021 and supporting 281,400 Texas supplier jobs. Walmart continues to be a leader in employment opportunity, sustainability, and corporate philanthropy. In fiscal year 2021, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation contributed more than $129.2 million in cash and in-kind donations to local nonprofits in Texas. Learn more at corporate.walmart.com.

About DroneUp

DroneUp is an American technology company that combines airspace solutions, software applications, analytics platforms, and a trusted team of industry leaders to help companies operate at scale with drone innovation.

In 2021, DroneUp received a significant investment from the #1 retailer in the world, Walmart, Inc. DroneUp was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

For more information: https://www.droneup.com.