Texas Longhorns starting quarterback Quinn Ewers went down with an injury against the UTSA Roadrunners. In his place, Arch Manning entered the game and played extremely well, making for an interesting quarterback situation in Austin.

During an appearance on First Take, Paul Finebaum shared that he believes Arch Manning is capable of taking Texas to a national championship and even said there could be a quarterback controversy brewing for Texas.

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“He proved that he can take this team to the national championship,” Paul Finebaum said. “I know that Quinn Ewers has a lot more experience than Arch Manning but what I saw from Arch Manning on Saturday, what everyone saw, has me convinced that there’s really not much drop-off. The only drop-off is experience.”

Arch Manning came to Texas as one of the most highly anticipated prospects college football has seen in a long time. A five-star recruit in the Class of 2023, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, he was the top-ranked quarterback in that class. He’s also the nephew of Eli and Peyton Manning and the grandson of Archie Manning, giving him an excellent quarterback pedigree.

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“This guy is a Manning after all. He’s been weaned on the game since the crib and I give him credit. What I really give him credit for was staying at Texas. Any other player would have departed for a couple million bucks and he could have earned that because of his name and his prowess but he stayed there to wait his turn and he finally got it,” Finebaum said.

“Do we have a quarterback controversy? Yeah, we’ve got the Heisman Trophy favorite, Quinn Ewers, at least until last week, now looking over his shoulder at the prodigal son. Quite frankly, I think [Steve Sarkisian] when Ewers is back will go with him but at the first sign of trouble the fans will want Arch Manning in there, quickly.”

Paul Finebaum quickly received pushback from Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe on the set of First Take.

“I’m not saying he’s not gonna be great like his big uncle and Eli, but come on now,” Sharpe said. “Let’s be real that was the University of Texas-San Antonio. That’s not going on the road and beating Alabama. That’s not going on the road and beating Michigan in the Big House…let’s not get carried away.”

For his part, Smith agreed. Manning looked good but it was one game against a team that Texas was supposed to beat handily. So, given Finebaum’s reaction to the game, Smith felt like he needed to be drug tested.

“He’s shown you that he can get to the national championship? Well, Quinn Ewers hasn’t shown that yet. They weren’t in the national championship last year,” Smith said. “They were in the Playoff. The national championship was Michigan vs. Washington. So, how did he show you this because he’s going up against the University of Texas slash San Antonio?”

In the win over UTSA, Manning had nine completions for 223 yards and four passing touchdowns and he ran for another touchdown on a 67-yard scramble. It was an excellent performance, but Finebaum believes in Manning for more than that one game.

“I’ll be happy to be drug tested as long as you guys are with me…I’ve been watching this kid since he was in high school and he has it. I mean, he’s been there a while,” Finebaum said. “He has a lot of experience and I’m not saying he’s gonna replace Ewers…Sark won’t. I know who he is and he’s got plenty of time…I think Ewers will be back but all I’m saying is if Ewers has trouble, and he’s had a hard time staying healthy, I wouldn’t hesitate for one second putting Arch Manning in there.”

Week 4 will see Texas take on Louisiana Monroe. For now, it’s unclear if Quinn Ewers will be healthy enough to play or if Arch Manning will get an opportunity.

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