Arch Manning is poised to begin his second season behind Quinn Ewers on the Texas depth chart. The former five-star quarterback nevertheless decided not to transfer before the 2024 season.
Paul Finbebaum doesn’t think Longhorns fans should worry about Manning changing his mind.
On The Paul Finebaum Show, a caller asked about murmurs of Manning feeling disgruntled about his situation at Texas. ESPN’s college football guru debunked that claim.
“He could have easily left, which he did not do,” Finebaum said, according to Jaron Spor of Athlon Sports. “I could just give this to you anecdotally here. I’ve been to Austin twice lately, and the word down there is that Arch Manning is completely and totally invested.”
If Manning was unhappy about not playing, one would think he would have left this offseason before the transfer window closed. Last month, the nephew of Eli and Peyton Manning explained his decision to stay.
“It’s tough because you want to be out there playing with your boys,” Manning told The Athletic’s Larry Holder. “But just realizing there’s nowhere else I want to be, and it was my dream to play at Texas. I’m going to stick it out and play there eventually.”
Meanwhile, Finebaum’s stance might be linked to his confidence in Manning dethroning Ewers as the QB1. In June, sports anchor Tyler Feldman asked Finebaum who will close the 2024 season as Texas’ starting quarterback.
“That will be Arch Manning,” Finebaum predicted. “I don’t need to tiptoe around that. That is guaranteed.”
Related: Arch Manning Announces Official Decision On His Future At Texas