Never mind Steve Spurrier's quip on Arch Manning. Recall Danny Wuerffel?

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Jul 2, 2025 - 10:30
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Never mind Steve Spurrier's quip on Arch Manning. Recall Danny Wuerffel?

Steve Spurrier played the quarterback who gave his Florida Gators the best chance to win, and if his opinion on the matter changed, he’d change quarterbacks. Sometimes, his opinion would change from one play to the next, and he'd carousel the Gators' quarterbacks.

“There is nothing wrong with playing two quarterbacks, nothing at all,” Spurrier explained last year on an ESPN Radio station in Gainesville.

So, when Spurrier made headlines recently with a quip about Texas quarterback Arch Manning's Heisman Trophy odds, I interpreted the Head Ball Coach’s quote as a bit of a dig at Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian, too.

“They've got Arch Manning already winning the Heisman,” Spurrier said on “Another Dooley Noted” podcast. “My question is, if he was this good, how come they let Quinn Ewers play all the time last year? And (Ewers) was a seventh-round pick.”

Sounds like a shot at Manning, right?

Yes, but don’t miss what Spurrier said next.

“You only have to ask Coach Sark, how come you played that one instead of this one?” Spurrier continued.

[ This column first published in our SEC Unfiltered newsletter, emailed free to your inbox five days a week. Want more commentary like this? Sign up here for our newsletter on SEC sports. It's free. ]

If Manning lights it up this year, we’ll all be wondering that question: Did Sarkisian flub by staying loyal to Ewers last season, when Texas lost to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinals? Would the Longhorns have had a better chance at reaching the national championship with the more mobile but less experienced Manning?

Which quarterback would Spurrier have played?

We can only speculate on the answers to these questions, but I suspect Manning would have received more snaps last season if Spurrier had been his coach.

Sarkisian is no dummy. Just the opposite, he’s an excellent quarterback developer and a skilled offensive schemer. Alabama’s Mac Jones finished third for the Heisman in 2020 while Sarkisian coordinated the Tide’s offense.

Why do you think Manning chose Texas? The Manning family has a history of aligning itself with college coaches or coordinators who will grow their skills and prepare them for the NFL. Sarkisian’s coaching chops are an asset for Manning, not a liability.   

Sarkisian followed conventional wisdom last season by dancing with the one who brought him. Manning started two games while Ewers was injured, and Sarkisian inserted Manning in special packages thereafter as an offensive wrinkle, but Ewers remained QB1. He delivered one of his best performances in a playoff quarterfinal victory against Arizona State before struggling against a fierce Buckeyes defense.

Spurrier, himself a former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, made his coaching career zigging where others zagged. He didn’t give a hoot about conventional wisdom.

Interestingly, it’s better for Texas and Sarkisian if Manning casts doubt on Sark’s handling of the 2024 quarterback situation by winning the Heisman Trophy this season.

Manning leads all players with 6-to-1 Heisman odds on BetMGM.

Spurrier, although open to playing two quarterbacks, also knew when to ride with the star.

Danny Wuerffel threw for more than 3,600 yards and 39 touchdowns while winning the Heisman for Florida’s 1996 team that won the national championship. Earlier in his career, Wuerffel split time with Terry Dean.

If Wuerffel was so good, why did he share time with Dean? Well, because he wasn’t as good as a freshman and a sophomore as he became during his junior and senior seasons starting for Spurrier.

As for Dean? Well, he went undrafted.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Never mind Steve Spurrier's Arch Manning quip. Recall Danny Wuerffel?

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