Ewers is now headed to try his luck in the NFL, and Manning will be the de facto leader of Steve Sarkisian's Texas Longhorns.

After Texas held its eighth practice of the spring on Thursday, Arch Manning held court with the local media for the first time as a starter.

Arch Manning bided his time behind Quinn Ewers for two seasons, patiently waiting in the wings until it was his turn to take over as Texas’ starting quarterback. It wasn’t always easy, Manning said Thursday afternoon in his first media appearance of the spring with local reporters in Austin.