"That's Arch Manning's gig" - Rich Eisen issues a harsh reality check to Quinn Ewers as NFL evaluators tell him to stay in college

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers led the Longhorns to a narrow 39-31 Peach Bowl win against the Arizona State Sun Devils on Wednesday. The win propelled the Longhorns to the Cotton Bowl for a clash against the quarterback's former team, the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Ahead of the CFP semifinal, during Friday's segment of the "Rich Eisen Show," sportscaster Rich Eisen once again resurrected the rumor of Ewers entering the transfer portal as opposed to declaring for the NFL draft while addressing the specter of Arch Manning in Texas.

"Playing out behind the scenes is the NFL draft," Eisen said (5:25). "And playing out behind those scenes is a conversation I'm hearing is that a lot of NFL evaluators are telling Quinn Ewers, stay in college. And as we all know, if he stays in college for another year, it's not gonna be at Texas 'cause that's Arch Manning's gig next year and that's all playing out behind the scenes.

"Anytime Arch Manning does come on the field for that coach, for that quarterback, because Quinn Ewers behind these scenes, not on the field is hearing from a bunch of people saying 'Stay in college and go and make a killing in the transfer portal for one more year.'"

As per a recent report from On3, Ewers has been offered $6 million in NIL money by an unnamed school to enter the transfer portal and join it.

Quinn Ewers tabbed to enter the transfer portal

On the same episode of the "Rich Eisen Show," The Athletic's draft analyst, Bruce Feldman, reinforced the speculation that Quinn Ewers would stay in college football and enter the transfer portal.

"My guess is he will be in the portal," Feldman said (6:17). "He's in a similar situation to Cam Ward and some other guys where the NFL doesn't look at him as a top 50 pick. They look at him as maybe third, fourth-round quarterback.

"The concerns you hear from scouts and definitely SEC coaches who respect him and think he has good arm talent and think he's a really good college football quarterback is when he has to ad-lib and improvise is when the mistakes really happen.

"And he has been inconsistent and he has not been able to make it through a full season without not missing some games. For all we know, he can lead Texas to a national title and get hot in those games and has people feeling like he could be a first-rounder. I mean, if you ask me right now, my hunch is he may be in the portal for a big price tag."

The College Football Playoff seems like a make-or-break moment in the nascent career of Quinn Ewers and whether he will declare for the 2025 NFL draft or enter the transfer portal from Texas.