Arch Manning saw his first taste of extended college football action on Saturday during the Texas Longhorns's 56-7 win over UTSA. Manning replaced an injured Quinn Ewers who suffered an oblique strain in the second quarter.
Ewers, was on the short list of Heisman favorites coming into the weekend and Texas didn't miss a beat when Manning came in for him. The redshirt freshman made an immediate impact, completing 9-of-12 passes for 223 yards and four touchdowns. He also wasted no time putting a 67-yard touchdown run on his highlight reel that even caught the attention of Longhorns legend Vince Young.
Young wasn't the only one who was impressed. ESPN's Paul Finebaum went on television this morning and made a bold prediction
Paul Finebaum says Arch Manning will be the first member of the Manning family to win the Heisman Trophy.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 15, 2024
"Book it. Arch Manning is going to win the Heisman. I am in on that. His granddad and Peyton probably should have won it and Arch will... I don't know if he'll win it this… pic.twitter.com/iZneeHfa5P
"Book it," proclaimed Finebaum. "Arch Manning is going to win the Heisman. I am in on that. And by the way, his grandad and Peyton probably should have won it and Arch will. Can you imagine? He's replacing a Heisman favorite right now. I don't know if he'll win it this year, but Arch Manning will definitely win the Heisman at Texas."
Grandfather Archie Manning came in fourth in Heisman voting in 1969 and third in 1970. Uncle Peyton Manning finished sixth in '95, eighth in '96 and second in '97 as a senior. Archie would go on to be picked second overall in the '71 NFL draft and Peyton went first overall in '98.
Having now thrown 23 passes in his college career, the expectations for Arch are officially out of control.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Paul Finebaum Made a Bold Prediction About Arch Manning After Huge Game vs. UTSA.
