Texas' Arch Manning under even more pressure after stunning Paul Finebaum prediction

Anthony Licciardi

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Texas' Arch Manning under even more pressure after stunning Paul Finebaum prediction image

Texas quarterback Arch Manning is the prodigal son of college football. He'll inherit a College Football Playoff contender and an unprecedented burden of expectations.

He's a five-star recruit. He's filling the shoes of an NFL draft pick. Most importantly, he's a Manning.

The hype train continued rolling on Tuesday when college football icon Paul Finebaum dropped his unfiltered take on the Longhorns' starting quarterback.

Finebaum goes off the rails

On ESPN Tuesday morning, Finebaum was asked about his expectations for Manning. Simply put, he set the bar incredibly high.

"The absolute roof," Finebaum said. "I think there's a reasonably good chance that Arch Manning will be sitting on the front row in New York at the Heisman ceremony. That's assuming his team does what it is supposed to do and competes not only for the SEC but for the national championship."

Texas' season ended in the semifinals last season, falling 28-14 to the eventual champion Ohio State Buckeyes. Quarterback Quinn Ewers, facing his former team in his final collegiate contest, completed 23 of 39 attempts for 283 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.

His performance left enough room to consider whether Manning should have started in his place.

"Had Arch Manning been in the second half of that game vs. Ohio State like Nick Saban did years ago with Tua Tagovailoa, I think there's a reasonably good chance that Texas would have beaten Ohio State and won the national championship," he continued.

Manning started two games in Ewers' absence, neither against legitimate competition. Making cameos in 10 games as a redshirt freshman, he completed 61 of 90 passes for 939 yards, nine touchdowns, and two interceptions. He was electric in his two starts, justifying the hype fans and analysts have shared, but it's understandable why head coach Steve Sarkisian relied on his veteran when it mattered most.

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That small sample was enough for Finebaum to drop his hottest take of the summer, suggesting that Manning is the biggest star in the country.

"I believe also that Arch Manning is the best college football quarterback we have seen since Tim Tebow entered the scene in 2006," Finebaum said.

The past two decades have seen Cam Newton take over the sport and Robert Griffin III set it on fire. Johnny Manziel was as talented as he was polarizing, and Trevor Lawrence was penciled in as the first pick before setting foot on campus. Manning threw two interceptions against Louisiana-Monroe.

Let's pump the brakes a little bit.

Manning's current projection

Entering his redshirt sophomore season, Manning finds himself in an impressive crop of quarterbacks. Between LSU's Garrett Nussmeier, Clemson's Cade Klubnik, Penn State's Drew Allar, and South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers, there's plenty of competition for first-round capital.

With that said, the hype is warranted. Manning is a better athlete than his legendary uncles and showed off an impeccable deep ball during his two starts. He looked beyond his years within the pocket, was largely unfazed by pressure, and made plays out of structure. The ingredients are there for a Heisman campaign, and he could very well be the first pick in April's NFL Draft.

However, Texas will take on Ohio State and Georgia before a potential playoff run. He'll have to maintain his performance against SEC competition and the College Football Playoff field to make good on the buzz. That is both a distinct possibility and a right-tailed outcome for Manning, who wouldn't be the first passer to buckle under the weight of the college football world.

Manning's talent is worth getting excited about, but Finebaum's comments only set him up to fail. He doesn't need to be Tebow, Andrew Luck, Joe Burrow, or Kyler Murray. He needs to be Arch Manning and let the chips fall where they may. Hopefully, that means putting on a show for the rest of us.

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Anthony Licciardi

Anthony Licciardi is a freelance NFL Draft and MLB writer with The Sporting News. He has covered several NFL teams for Athlon Sports and Sports Illustrated’s wire sites. A 2023 Rutgers University graduate, Anthony is usually lost in a spreadsheet or a good book. He also enjoys grabbing coffee, playing with his cats and listening to an elite lineup of podcasts.