Let’s talk man to man, fan to fan. Do you think the hype around Arch Manning is justified? Do you think he is the next best thing in the football world? If the answer is no, then you’re not alone. But if the answer is yes, then read till the end, and maybe you’ll reconsider. Arch Manning is to football what LeBron James was to basketball. Extremely talented, with godly physical prowess, and hyped like they are the reincarnation of Hercules himself. But there is something that LeBron had back when he was in high school that Arch doesn’t.

Evidence. We are talking about statistical evidence. Now, please don’t take this the wrong way, Arch has had a solid high school career. 8000+ yards, 100+TDs, and just a handful of interceptions. Solid is a good word to describe it. But does it justify the otherworldly hype around him? Maybe not. And sportscaster Scott Van Pelt echoes the same sentiments. 

In a recent segment on ESPN, SVP openly questioned how Arch has managed to soak in so much national belief without really logging meaningful playing time. “But Arch Manning is being given greater belief than I can ever remember anyone who I haven’t seen do it ever,” Van Pelt said. “But if he was the guy… then Manning would have gotten more [chances] like that one run against Ohio State and like the one snap. I think that was the one play he had.” Van Pelt didn’t attack Arch’s ability but highlighted the lack of evidence behind his hype. “Arch Manning may very well be who he’s suggested to be. But if he is, we just haven’t seen it yet because he really hadn’t played a ton.” Arch will be on the receiving end of these types of questions during the SEC media day with linebacker Anthony Hill and defensive back Michael Taaffe.

Expanding on the conversation, Van Pelt drew comparisons to other young quarterbacks who’ve at least had their shot to prove something on the field. “ Klubnik, saw him do it. Saw him do it against Texas. He was really good in that game in Austin. We’ve seen Allar; he’s been a starter on a big-time team for a few years in a row here. [But] Arch is this guy because his last name is Manning and he’s highly regarded coming out, and then he goes to Texas.” It’s not a dismissal of Arch’s talent, but a reality check that even the highest-rated recruits eventually need to step between the lines and show it. And that’s exactly what everyone is banking on for the 2025 season. 

Another reason why Arch is hyped apart from his last name is his physical prowess. But that is regularly being confused with his present quarterback abilities. He has every physical trait of a generational quarterback, but does that make him a generational quarterback? That’s your call, guys. We can just say that the guy has a really high ceiling, which is great. But the hype around him is built like he has achieved and surpassed his ceiling. Van Pelt said, “I saw Finebaum saying he’s going to be the best college quarterback since Tim Tebow or something. I’m thinking, well, how the h- – l do you know that?” And that’s fair, nobody knows.

But maybe every one of us is wrong. Maybe Arch is the guy. Maybe he is him. Maybe he is the best Manning. Cooper’s legs, Eli’s arm, and Peyton’s IQ, maybe he has everything. But if we want to remove that “maybe”, we would need to watch him play against the best of the best. And Longhorns’ first game against Ohio State will clear everything. Until then, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and what can be asserted without evidence can be disregarded without evidence.

Finebaum’s Heisman hype

The hype around Arch cannot be blamed on Arch. It’s entirely on the fans and analysts. And Paul Finebaum is one of the biggest names on the latter list. While most young quarterbacks step into a starting role hoping to earn the trust of their fanbase, Manning is stepping into his first start with a Heisman forecast already hovering over him. It’s about living up to a legacy, lifting a program, and meeting a mountain of expectations that’s been building since high school.

“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 not your average preseason praise. That’s Heisman-frontrunner talk before a single snap (as a starting QB, in a new season). Finebaum wasn’t done, though. “I believe also that Arch Manning is the best college football quarterback we have seen since Tim Tebow entered the scene in 2006.” It’s a staggering comparison, one that instantly elevates Manning from promising recruit to generational phenom before we’ve even seen how he handles SEC defenses or a fourth quarter under pressure.

This all ties directly into what Scott Van Pelt cautioned about, that Manning is being given an extraordinary amount of belief without the tape to back it up yet. Finebaum, though, sees it differently. He sees Manning as destiny. Now the lights will turn on, and Arch will have his shot to prove whether the talk was premature or just prophetic. Either way, this is going to be fun.