Paul Finebaum Reveals Why He's Buying Into the Arch Manning Hype

Paul Finebaum Reveals Why He's Buying Into the Arch Manning Hype originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Arch Manning era for the Texas Longhorns is about to begin. As the grandson of legendary college quarterback Archie Manning and the nephew of NFL icons Peyton and Eli Manning, Arch has patiently waited behind Quinn Ewers for the past two seasons.

Ewers played a crucial role in helping Texas win the Big 12 championship in 2023, marking the first time the Longhorns had achieved this since 2009. He also led the team to consecutive College Football Playoff appearances, a first in the school’s history. However, Texas lost in the semifinals both times.

There is hope that Manning can be the quarterback to lead the Longhorns to success. On "The Paul Finebaum Show," the SEC Network analyst explained why he believes in Manning.

"You buy stocks on what you think they're going to be worth," Finebaum said. "I'm giving comments, and others are as well on Arch, in terms of what we don't know. Everybody knows the same thing you just told us. That wasn't breaking news that he had a tough game. So did other people. But Steve Sarkisian believes in the guy, and I believe in Steve Sarkisian."

Paul Finebaum Predicts Strong Season From Texas and Arch Manning in 2025

Finebaum has supported that hype all offseason. He has claimed that Texas is the best team in the country and believes an 11-win season is likely.

“I would go with 11-1,” Finebaum previously said. “I’m sure you are curious which one of the games Texas would lose. I think there are a couple of possibilities: at Florida, clearly at Georgia, I think, one of those two could be a possibility. It’s a tricky schedule. I think Georgia and Florida are the two toughest games. I think Oklahoma could be pretty close after that.”

Finebaum acknowledged that Texas will start the season against the defending national champion, the Ohio State Buckeyes, but he strongly believes the Longhorns will win that game.

Arch Manning Will Have to Overcome Significant Losses

Many national pundits are optimistic about Texas this season; however, there are several uncertainties regarding the Longhorns. The team is experiencing significant roster turnover, having lost a considerable amount of production from last year. Texas ranks No. 103 in returning production, with only 29 percent of its offensive players coming back. This places them at No. 126 in terms of returning offensive production.

The Longhorns have lost four of their top six receivers, their second-leading rusher and four of the five starting offensive linemen. Despite these challenges, Texas has excelled in recruiting and has secured the top recruiting class in the nation for 2025, according to 247Sports.

Greg McElroy Voices Hesitancy of Arch Manning's Hype

Not everyone is convinced about Manning for the upcoming season. ESPN's Greg McElroy believes he has potential, but wants to see him perform well against top competition.

“I love Arch Manning,” McElroy previously said. “I think that Arch Manning’s got a chance to be a great player. But until he goes out there and does it against Ohio State, I’m going to have questions because I saw what he did when he had to go in the game against Georgia. It did not go well for him.” 

McElroy analyzed Manning's performance against Louisiana-Monroe, UTSA and Mississippi State. However, he pointed out that none of those teams had a strong defense, with Mississippi State ranking 126th in the country in that category.

McElroy's concern stems from the regular-season game against Georgia, during which Manning briefly replaced Ewers in an attempt to energize the team. Manning completed 3-of-6 passes for 19 yards but had a crucial fumble just before halftime that resulted in a score for the Bulldogs.

Manning will make his first start of the 2025 season against the Buckeyes on the road. It's a rematch of the College Football Playoff semifinal and is scheduled for noon ET on Aug. 30.

Related: Joel Klatt Gives Honest Opinion of Arch Manning

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 8, 2025, where it first appeared.