AUSTIN, Texas — Seven thoughts on Texas’ Orange-White spring game on Saturday:

1. The play on the field made it clear, and coach Steve Sarkisian confirmed as much afterward, to nobody’s surprise: Quinn Ewers is QB1. There was plenty of curiosity about freshman Arch Manning, considering his last name and lofty recruiting status, but if the Longhorns are going to play for a Big 12 championship this fall, it’s Ewers who has to take them there.

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Ewers showed flashes last year of what he can be, mixed in with typical freshman struggles amid a frustrating midseason slump. Saturday, the redshirt sophomore showed accuracy, patience and progress. He connected on an early deep ball with receiver Xavier Worthy, a welcome sight for frustrated Texas fans who watched the pair struggle to link up with regularity last season whenever Sarkisian drew up deep shots downfield.

“I think it’s pretty clear to say Quinn’s our starting quarterback, and we feel very good about that,” Sarkisian said.

Ewers, who finished 16-of-23 passing for 195 yards and a touchdown, didn’t commit a turnover and was smart with the football, not putting himself or the offense in bad situations. Sarkisian has alluded multiple times this spring to the progress Ewers has made in his game and in his personal development, and the quarterback mentioned Saturday the efforts he took this offseason to grow.

“I didn’t like where I was at last year,” Ewers said. “Obviously, something had to change if I want to end up where I want to be in the future. … I’m eating a lot better. I’m doing all the small things a lot harder, and I’m excited.”

Quinn➡️X 🎯

CJ Baxter punches it in for the 7-0 lead

— Longhorn Network (@LonghornNetwork) April 15, 2023

2. For all the buzz about Manning, who looked like a true freshman, it was redshirt freshman Maalik Murphy who shined among the backup quarterbacks. The 2022 four-star recruit, who has battled injuries for much of his Longhorns career, looked comfortable and in command when he was in the game.

The 6-foot-5, 235-pound California native finished 9-of-13 for 165 yards and a touchdown. The offense ran smoothly with him in the game, and he made two impressive deep throws, one of which went through the hands of freshman receiver DeAndre Moore Jr., and the other of which was hauled in by 2023 five-star recruit Johntay Cook II for a 79-yard touchdown.

Maalik Murphy hitting Johntay Cook deep for the TD 🤘@SmvOperator x @_jayythegreat_

— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) April 15, 2023

“He’s got great vision,” Sarkisian said. “When he pushes the ball down the field, it’s natural. It’s not like he has to force it. He’s got a quick delivery and quick release.”

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Manning, who finished 5-of-13 for 30 yards, was pressured early and often, forcing him to scramble and throw the ball away at times. To his credit, he didn’t force any poor throws or decisions while under pressure, but he wasn’t able to create any explosive plays, either.

The No. 1 recruit in the 2023 class, Manning displayed a quick release and a ball that arrives in a hurry to receivers. But he was off-target a handful of times, as well. The New Orleans product still has a lot of developing to do.

Sarkisian said he didn’t feel the need to establish a pecking order among the quarterbacks.

“Sometimes we can rush to judgment on where guys are at,” Sarkisian said. “I don’t ever want to take the stinger of these other guys that they’re not competing for something, that they’re not striving for something because they’re all talented players.”

3. If there’s a most improved position on the roster, it’s receiver. Last year, Sarkisian talked about the need to develop other weapons to take some of the defensive attention off Worthy, who was coming off his freshman All-America season in 2021.

Isaiah Neyor’s preseason knee injury, as well as injuries to others at the position, disrupted that plan, leaving Texas with just Worthy and Jordan Whittington as its consistently reliable options at receiver.

Enter Georgia transfer Adonai Mitchell. The junior from Missouri City, Texas, who helped the Bulldogs to consecutive College Football Playoff national championships, made the best catch of the day, a one-handed touchdown snag in the middle of the field.

AD Mitchell 🤯@MoCityMitch

— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) April 15, 2023

Mitchell, who finished with a game-high six catches for 58 yards but was wearing a non-contact jersey, looks like an instant impact weapon in the Longhorns’ passing game.

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Add Cook and Moore to the mix plus a healthy Neyor (who was held out of the game for precautionary reasons) and suddenly the Longhorns have a host of quality options for Ewers — not to mention tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, their second-leading pass catcher last year.

“AD Mitchell is an explosive athlete,” Sarkisian said. “That explosiveness that he has … in combination with Xavier, with Jordan, with JT, that’s a problem. Now, let’s make sure we’re calling the right plays to get all those guys open and that the quarterback is finding those one-on-one matchups because those guys can win one-on-one and they can’t double everybody.”

4. One of the biggest voids to fill is at running back, where Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson have been mainstays but are off to the NFL.

There’s little question about the talent level at the position, but the other backs haven’t played major roles in the offense because of the presence of Robinson and Johnson.

The spring game offered a glimpse at a few of the backs, namely sophomore Jaydon Blue and true freshman CJ Baxter. Blue made a highlight-worthy run for a touchdown, breaking tackles and juking a defender. Baxter received a lot of work in between the tackles and scored a 1-yard touchdown.

Jaydon Blue scores from 31 yards out! What a run for the second year RB out of the greater Houston area #HookEm | @Horns247

— Hudson Standish (@247Hudson) April 15, 2023

Both were blue-chip recruits: Blue was a top-200 prospect in the 2022 class, Baxter a five-star in 2023. Sophomore Jonathon Brooks, who was impressive in the limited action he saw last season, carried the ball just twice Saturday, and senior utility back Keilan Robinson was held out of the game. But Texas has plenty of backfield options from which to choose.

Savion Red, a former receiver recruit who moved to running back this offseason, also got plenty of work. He finished with nine carries for 45 yards and also caught two passes. He is an intriguing player with skill and versatility.

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5. The defensive front got consistent pressure throughout the day and is an area Texas should feel good about because of the number of good, young talent there. Sophomore edge rusher Ethan Burke and redshirt freshman edge J’Mond Tapp each tallied sacks.

Freshman linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. was active, picking up three tackles and a sack and looking like every bit of the five-star recruit he was.

And although he didn’t fill up the stat sheet Saturday, the player who has gotten the most buzz on defense this spring is junior defensive lineman Byron Murphy II. The DeSoto, Texas, product has been a consistent matchup headache throughout spring, drawing praise from multiple teammates.

“He’s right there on the nose of the ball every time,” linebacker Jaylan Ford said. “He easily causes disruption.”

Ewers offered praise to senior defensive lineman Alfred Collins, who finished with a sack.

“He’s a disruptor of pretty much everything inside,” Ewers said. “I hate playing against him.”

Because the Longhorns split the squad into separate teams, more snaps were available for linemen on the two-deep, but Sarkisian is excited to see what it looks like when they’re on the field as a full group in the fall.

“We’re at our best defensively when we can roll our front and guys aren’t having to play 40 or 50 plays but they’re playing 25 or so,” Sarkisian said. “Our depth, when we’re all on one team, is going to be advantageous for us.”

6. Ford was asked who among the defensive players has stood out as a potential breakout player this season. Murphy was top of mind, but he also pointed out safety Kitan Crawford.

“He’s a physical guy for a safety,” Ford said of Crawford. “He’ll make plays as if he was a linebacker, and he’s got the speed.”

Ford also singled out redshirt freshman defensive lineman Aaron Bryant for his play up front Saturday.

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7. After two years of constructing the roster to his specifications, Sarkisian has a team that looks drastically different from the one he took over in January 2021, in a good way. It’s bigger and deeper in the trenches, it’s explosive at receiver and it’s fast on the defensive perimeter.

The offense finally has the talent Sarkisian needs to allow him to do what he does best: create mismatches with his game planning and play calling. If Ewers continues to grow and the young backs can settle into their new roles, Texas’ offense could take off.

“You’re like the kid who gets a bunch of new toys at Christmas and then you still have those other toys you love playing with,” Sarkisian said. “Now our job is to make sure that we craft an offense that allows all of those guys to play to their potential and to do the things that they do really well and hopefully make things difficult on our opponents.

“We should be fresh, we should be fast and making sure that we’re distributing the ball in a way to where, at any given moment, one of these guys can really hurt you.”

Most importantly, Texas has depth, which is critical if the Longhorns are going to seriously contend for a conference title. Injuries happen, but being able to endure them and continue winning is what makes a championship possible. The transfer portal opened Saturday, so we’ll find out soon enough what moves the Longhorns make there. But Texas doesn’t need much.

In his first two years at Texas, Sarkisian said there were positions where he felt shaky if he had to turn to a backup. But that’s not the case anymore.

“You can go position by position, and I feel very comfortable if the starter isn’t in — the backup doesn’t look much different,” Sarkisian said. “We haven’t been in that space here my first couple of years.

“We have depth on this team now to where we have a very solid two-deep and — at some positions three-deep — where we’re very comfortable with the players that we have.”

(Photo of Quinn Ewers: Tim Warner / Getty Images)