Paul Finebaum Thinks Arch Manning Could Be The Best College QB Since Tim Tebow

The hype around Arch Manning is reaching absurd levels. And as usual, it's ESPN's Paul Finebaum ratcheting it up to new heights.

On Tuesday morning, Finebaum joined the "Get Up" show on ESPN and talked his expectations for Manning heading into the 2025 season, and they are, well, insane.

"Paul Finebaum, what’re your expectations for Arch [Manning]?" asked host Dan Graziano.

"The absolute roof. 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," Finebaum said. "That’s assuming that his team does what it’s supposed to do and compete not only for the SEC, but for the national championship, and I really believe they will.

"I think Steve Sarkisian, who is one of the most amazing play callers I’ve ever seen, made a critical mistake late in the year. He was way too loyal to Quinn Ewers, who was banged up and was really ineffective. Had Arch Manning been instituted in the second half of that [playoff] game, like Nick Saban did a couple years ago with [Tua] Tagovailoa, I think there’s a reasonably good chance that Texas would’ve beaten Ohio State and won the national championship. They’re very capable of doing it again this year.

He wasn't done there.

AUSTIN, Tex. - Arch Manning of the Texas Longhorns reacts during the Texas Football Orange-White Spring Football Game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on April 15, 2023. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

How Close Is Arch Manning To Tim Tebow?

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

Well then!

Tebow played for the Florida Gators from 2006-2009, completing more than 67 percent of his passes with 88 touchdowns against just 16 interceptions to go along with a whopping 57 rushing touchdowns and nearly 3,000 rushing yards. He won a Heisman Trophy and two BCS National Championships. He set any number of SEC and collegiate records. 

That's an incredibly high bar to clear. And it's unfair, and frankly, impossible, for Arch Manning to live up to Tebow's level of success. Considering he's a near certainty to leave for the NFL after the season as a presumptive top-5 pick. 

Not to mention that there are plenty of other quarterbacks between Tebow and Manning that Finebaum seemed to gloss over. How about Cam Newton? Joe Burrow? Trevor Lawrence? Jameis Winston? Heck, Johnny Manziel had an outstanding collegiate career, becoming just the fifth quarterback ever to pass for 3,000+ yards and rush for 1,000 yards in the same year. 

Kyler Murray? Baker Mayfield? 

Patrick Mahomes played in relative obscurity at Texas Tech, but in his final season in Lubbock threw for more than 5,000 yards with 41 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions. And added 12 more touchdowns on the ground for good measure. He's now turned into one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history.

Arch Manning looked impressive when filling in for Quinn Ewers in 2024. He comes with impeccable training, was a highly regarded recruit, and has elite skills. He can have an outstanding season and still come nowhere close to the level of many of those quarterbacks, let alone the collegiate version of Tebow. 

Paul Finebaum just needs to calm down. A lot.