The Cleveland Browns have had a revolving door at the quarterback position for years. That trend is likely to continue during the 2025 campaign with Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders on the roster.
With two first-round picks among their warchest of assets heading into next year's draft, Cleveland is, once again, at the top of the list of teams that will be evaluating the best signal callers college football has to offer throughout the 2025 season. Those evaluations began on Saturday with Week 1 of the NCAAF season. According to Tony Grossi of 850 ESPN Cleveland, the Browns had a serious contingent of decision-makers in the building at Ohio State University.
OSU-Texas believed to be the first live college game attended by Kevin Stefanski as Browns HC.
— Tony Grossi (@TonyGrossi) August 30, 2025
Perhaps the most interesting name in attendance for the showdown between Ohio State and Arch Manning's Texas Longhorns was head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Browns Lack Faith in QBs After Stefanski Scouts Arch Manning
Despite this being his first real opportunity to be the full-time starting QB for the Longhorns, Texas QB Arch Manning is widely considered to be among the top prospects eligible to enter the 2026 draft. Cleveland's interest in Manning has been widely reported on, with Browns owner Jimmy Haslam among Manning's biggest fans.
With the news that HC Stefanski chose this matchup to be the first live college game he's attended since taking over on the sidelines in Cleveland, the rumors concerning Manning and the Browns should only gain more steam.
Despite the relatively short distance from Cleveland to Columbus, Stefanski probably could have just kept an eye on the game from the comfort of his own home with the way Manning has struggled during his season opener. At the time of this writing, Manning had completed 11/18 attempts for an uninspiring 58 yards and a pair of interceptions through three quarters of play.
While starting QB Flacco likely doesn't care how Stefanski is spending the weekend before the regular season kicks off, Gabriel and Sanders can't feel great about what this development means for their respective futures in Cleveland. Having your head coach personally scout the player who would take your spot on the depth chart before you ever play a down in the NFL cannot be a self-esteem booster.
Whether it is Manning or another prospect in what is expected to be a draft rich in QB talent, the Browns appear to be all-in on finding their next leader in the huddle, as, apparently, Gabriel and Sanders don't fit the bill.