Paul Finebaum predicts Arch Manning will win 2025 Heisman Trophy

There have been massive expectations on Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning going back to his time in high school. Now that he’s set to take over as the starter in Austin, that’s no different, with ESPN’s Paul Finebaum now predicting that he’ll even win the Heisman Trophy.

Finebaum made the bold prediction on Get Up on Wednesday. There, he emphasized the narrative and hype he expects to be around Manning, as well as Manning living up to those expectations, as to why he’ll win the Heisman.

“You know what the answer is,” Paul Finebaum said. “It’s Arch Manning. Here’s why. It’s not because I’m in love with the guy, it’s because he’s going to win that first game on the biggest stage in college football this year, and all of a sudden, it’s going to go from Arch Mania to it’s going to transcend the sport of college football.”

The opening game is going to be a major road test for Arch Manning and Texas. The Longhorns open the season by playing defending national champions Ohio State in The Horseshoe. A win there, certainly, would announce Manning has arrived.

However, as Finebaum further explained, that’s not the only opportunity that Manning will have to stand out in. He’ll have several opportunities throughout the season in SEC play. Take advantage of those, which Finebaum believes he’s capable of doing, and Manning should be a Heisman contender.

“He has so many other big moments throughout the season. The Heisman is often won by those moments. It doesn’t matter what the position is. It matters what kind of hype you get. So, when he has other games later in the season, like at Georgia,” Finebaum said. “And if he should win those games, he’s going to move on to New York very effectively and easily.”

Arch Manning was a five-star recruit in the Class of 2023. The next quarterback in the Manning family, he was the top-ranked recruit in that cycle. However, through two college seasons, his playing time has been fairly limited to mop-up time and filling in for Quinn Ewers last season as he battled an injury. Last season, he would complete 67.8 percent of his passes for 939 yards and nine touchdowns to two interceptions. He also rushed for 108 yards and four touchdowns.

Now, the national expectations are high that Arch Manning has a breakout season. Paul Finebaum has led that charge in many respects, comparing him to Tim Tebow and recently predicting that he’ll lead the Longhorns to a national championship.