ESPN college football star backtracks over Arch Manning claims and says ‘we all jumped the gun’ on Texas star

ARCH Manning, 21, has had a difficult start to life as the starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns.

The Longhorns lost their 2025 season opener against Ohio State 14-7 on August 30.

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Arch Manning has had a tough start to the season with the Texas Longhorns[/caption]

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Paul Finebaum has backtracked on his Heisman Trophy comments[/caption]

Quarterback Manning has had high expectations placed on him since his arrival at Texas.

His poor performances for the Longhorns has seen ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, 70, backtrack over comments made about the sophomore.

Finebaum had compared Manning to Tim Tebow as he suggested that the quarterback would be a Heisman Trophy contender.

He appeared on First Take to backtrack on his previous comments about Manning.

“The bottom line is Arch Manning is not playing like an elite quarterback,” Finebaum said. “He’s barely playing like a pedestrian quarterback.”

Representatives from the Cleveland Browns attended Texas’ opening game against the Buckeyes.

This comes after several NFL teams showing interest in the quarterback.

The quarterback has been mocked for his disastrous performance as he struggled against a dominant defense.

Manning recovered for an improved performance against San Jose State, winning 38-7.

Despite this, Finebaum claims this outing does not prove anything.

“He had some good plays, but that game doesn’t mean anything,” added Finebaum. “Ultimately, I think we all jumped the gun.”

“Is he in the Heisman race? No, Arch Manning is not in the Heisman race as of today.”

Significant pressure has been placed on the college star as he looks to live up to his name.

He was named after his grandfather Archie, 76, who played the majority of his NFL career with the New Orleans Saints.

Manning is also the nephew of Peyton, 49, and Eli, 44, who have each won two Super Bowls.

The Manning family initially tried to hide his last name from the media to avoid creating unnecessary hype around the quarterback.

“What he doesn’t need is his coach babying him in the media,” said Finebaum.

“That’s the worst thing that can happen when you already have the name that a lot of people want to hate on, privilege that a lot of people want to scorn.”

Finebaum has clarified that he believes Manning can still prove a success during his time at Texas.

Manning is set to remain at quarterback as the Longhorns face the UTEP Miners on Saturday.