Perhaps no one is higher on Arch Manning's potential than Paul Finebaum. ESPN's college football contributor surprised a lot of people a few weeks ago when he posited that the Texas Longhorns signal-caller may be the best college football quarterback since Tim Tebow.
It really is difficult to imagine crafting a better take as all the best ingredients are being combined with maximum efficiency. With his lineage, Manning is something we haven't seen in the sport for a long time and this fall will present his most complete examination under the brightest microscope. There are circus-like elements to the story and yet nothing compared to the years Tebow dominated conversation while winning multiple national championships at Florida.
Jordan Rodgers, former Vanderbilt quarterback and current analyst, sees things a bit differently as he has Manning rated as the fifth-best quarterback in the SEC, along the way making assertions that there's been some Kool-Aid drinking going on.
Finebaum then responded to that—as the wheel goes 'round and 'round—on Tuesday's Get Up. And he did so by bringing up Rodgers's star turn as a winning contestant on The Bachelor.
.@finebaum reacts to @JRodgers11 comments about Arch Manning:
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) July 15, 2025
"My wife and I were Jordan's biggest fans when he won the Bachelorette. But that's where it ends." 😂 pic.twitter.com/Ug4y2CIVfJ
A few things here. Excellent cross-promotion going on by all involved. More importantly, this might be a sneak peak at Finebaum's life from now on. Calling Arch Manning the next Tebow is a bold move and he's going to be asked about it every day. It will get worse should Texas struggle. He won't be able to escape it.
It's not even mid-July either. There are still several weeks before Manning can even begin to deliver on these high expectations. Finebaum's just going to have to hang in there, hoping he's able to give one of the more well-earned 'I told you so's' in years.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Paul Finebaum's Arch Manning Take Is Going to Provide So Much Entertainment.
