Paul Finebaum says Arch Manning will win Heisman Trophy with Texas football: 'Book it'
Texas football has one of the more explosive offenses in college football, one that is led by Heisman Trophy candidate Quinn Ewers quarterback.
But with Ewers going down with an abdominal strain in Saturday's 56-7 romp over UTSA, the No. 3 Longhorns (3-0) had to go their backup quarterback: Arch Manning.
Normally a shift in quarterback is a drastic change to a team's offense. However, according to ESPN college football personality Paul Finebaum, Steve Sarkisian has another Heisman candidate in the waiting.
REQUIRED READING: Quinn Ewers injury: What Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian said of QB's outlook
"Book it. Arch Manning is going to win the Heisman. I am in on that," Finebaum said Sunday morning on "SportsCenter."
"His granddad (Archie Manning) and Peyton probably should have won it and Arch will. Could you imagine? He's replacing a Heisman favorite (Quinn Ewers) right now. I don't know if he'll win it this year, but Arch Manning will definitely win the Heisman at Texas."
Paul Finebaum says Arch Manning will be the first member of the Manning family to win the Heisman Trophy.
"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— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 15, 2024
REQUIRED READING: Texas football vs. UTSA: Longhorns grades in their home win, including QB Arch Manning
Manning entered Saturday's game vs. UTSA in the second quarter after Ewers exited with his injury. In his first two drives vs. the Roadrunners, Manning threw a 19-yard touchdown and ran for another 67-yard score. He finished completing 9 of 12 passes for 223 yards with four touchdowns. He also had 53 yards rushing (including sacks) on three carries and a rushing touchdown.
Per OptaStats, the Longhorns quarterback became the first quarterback at either the college or NFL level in the last 25 years to have a touchdown pass of at least 75 yards, a touchdown run of at least 65 yards and another passing touchdown of at least 50 yards in a single game.
In the last 25 years, only one FBS or NFL QB has had a 75+ yard TD pass, a 65+ yard TD run & another 50+ yard TD pass all in the same game.
That one QB was @TexasFootball's Arch Manning on Saturday.
He did it in a span of 15:10 of game time in a game he didn't even start. pic.twitter.com/9DJsDvj7jx— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 15, 2024
The Manning family is one of football's most well-known families, one that started with Arch Manning's grandfather, Archie Manning, at Ole Miss. But as Finebaum pointed out, the Mannings do not have a Heisman Trophy to their family name.
Archie Manning finished fourth in the Heisman voting in 1969 and third a year later in 1970. He later went on to become the No. 2 overall pick of the 1971 NFL draft. Arch Manning's uncle Eli Manning, who also played at Ole Miss, finished third in the 2003 and was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2004 NFL draft.
Peyton Manning came the closest to winning the Heisman in the Manning family, finishing as a runner-up in the 1997 Heisman Trophy race to Michigan safety and future Pro Football Hall of Famer Charles Woodson. Peyton Manning, who played at Tennessee, also received votes in 1995 and 1996 but was not named a finalist in either of those years. He was the No. 1 overall pick of the 1998 NFL draft.
BetMGM currently has Arch Manning with the seventh-best odds (+1600) to win the 2024 Heisman Trophy, without him having started a game for the Longhorn this season.
Texas will play Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT. Whether Arch Manning starts in that game vs the Warhawks for Ewers remains to be seen.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Paul Finebaum: Arch Manning will win Heisman Trophy at Texas
