Paul Finebaum is backing off the Arch Manning hype - at least compared with where he was a year ago.
Manning entered 2025 with massive expectations after the buzz that followed him into Texas, but his season never quite matched the preseason noise. The former five-star arrived with the weight of the most famous quarterback family in football, and plenty of people believed he would be a clear upgrade after Quinn Ewers’ mildly disappointing 2024.
Texas still went 10-3, and Manning’s numbers gave the Longhorns a workable foundation for a first-year SEC starter. But the early losses to Ohio State and Florida, along with shaky showings in wins over Oklahoma and Kentucky, shut down any real talk of an immediate Heisman run.
Finebaum was one of the voices who helped fuel that early optimism. Last year, he went so far as to compare Manning’s future impact on the sport to Tim Tebow, the former Florida star and 2007 Heisman Trophy winner. That take drew plenty of ridicule during the 2025 season.
Now, Finebaum sounds much more measured.
“A lot less hyperbole around Arch Manning this year, but he's still one of the most sought-after people to talk to at SEC Media Days,” Finebaum posted on X.
Manning is still part of the broader early Heisman and NFL draft conversation, but he’s no longer the only name drawing that kind of attention. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore is being discussed in a similar lane, coming off a College Football Playoff semifinal run and looking to give the Ducks their first Heisman winner since Marcus Mariota in 2014.
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is also getting early buzz, with his path drawing comparisons to Diego Pavia’s run in the 2025 Heisman race. Both Chambliss and Pavia arrived in the SEC from outside Division I and both won eligibility cases against the NCAA to extend their college careers.
Ohio State has two more players in the mix on offense. Quarterback Julian Sayin and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith are both drawing Heisman attention, with Sayin having already been one of the four finalists in 2025 and Smith viewed as one of the nation’s top non-quarterback contenders.
Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr is another early name to watch. As a freshman, Carr threw for 2,741 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions, and that production has already put him on the radar for the award conversation.
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Paul Finebaum Just Put Ohio State Above The SEC Again
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Finebaum pointed to a changing national picture, and Ohio State was part of the reason. Along with Oregon and Notre Dame, the Buckeyes were among the teams he viewed as better positioned than the SECs current contenders, a notable shift for a league that has long set the standard. For Ohio State, it is another sign that the path to the playoff and the championship conversation may be opening wider than it has in years. [Read more 🡒]