Paul Finebaum Turning Heads With Bold Arch Manning Prediction

Just when those around college football thought that they had heard the last of the quarterback controversy between Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning at Texas, ESPN's Paul Finebaum kickstarted those rumors again on Sunday.

While at the SEC celebration in Austin, Finebaum was fielding questions from reporters when he was asked who he thinks will be starting at quarterback for Texas by the end of the season. While those around the program have all consistently expressed that it is Ewers' team, it appears that some simply cannot help themselves when it comes to the buzz generated by the grandson of Archie Manning and nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning.

Despite having just 30 career passing yards, Manning went into Texas as the No. 1 overall recruit in the country ahead of 2023 and was immediately expected by fans to dethrone Ewers. Not only did Ewers have a career year in what was his second season at the helm, but he led Texas to both a Big 12 and College Football Playoff appearance. There was a world where Ewers declared for the draft and Manning took over in 2024, but Ewers opted to return to Austin for one final season, thus putting Manning on ice for another season.

Or at least according to Finebaum, for part of the season.

Texas QB Arch Manning © Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

To the surprise of many fans, Finebaum revealed that he thinks it is only a matter of time before Manning is behind center for the Longhorns.

"That will be Arch Manning. I don't need to tiptoe around that. That is guaranteed. You heard it," Finebaum said. "We may even see him a little bit throughout the season."

Steve Sarkisian and the rest of the Longhorns have made it clear that it is Ewers' team, and it isn't as if Ewers is the Kelly Bryant in a Trevor Lawrence situation. Aside from being one of the faces of college football, as seen on the cover of EA Sports College Football 25, Ewers is a Heisman candidate and projected first-round pick in next year's NFL Draft.

Realistically, the one thing that may lead to Manning being on the field sooner than expected is if Ewers goes down with an injury, something that has happened in both of his two years in Austin. If Ewers is fully healthy, he would have to take a major step back in his development and performance, something that just doesn't seem likely with all of the talent around him and the fact that Sarkisian seemingly always gets the most out of his quarterbacks.