Paul Finebaum out on Arch Manning after Week 3, struggles vs. UTEP: 'It's over'

Going into the 2025 season, there was more excitement around Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning than arguably any other player in the country. That included from experts like Paul Finebaum, who often suggested he would be a Heisman contender. Now, through three games, the season has taken a surprising turn for Manning.

Manning struggled in Week 3 against UTEP. That’s become a trend now for him and the Texas offense, despite the expectations coming into the season. Now, around the country, many experts are changing their tune. That included Finebaum, who shared during a game of Paul in or Paul Out on SportsCenter on Sunday morning that he’s out on Manning for the time being.

“Listen, I’m not bright but I’m not the stupidest person on the face of the earth,” Paul Finebaum said. “I’m out. Okay? Count me out. I gave it a shot. It blew up. I like Arch. He’s going to be a great player someday, maybe some year, but not this year. It’s over. Come on. You can’t look at three weeks and find a way for the front row in New York. So, nice knowing you, Arch. See you soon.”

There were plenty of good reasons for the hype around Manning. The next quarterback in a family full of stars at the position, he had been a five-star recruit and, after two years of mostly being a backup, he was ready to take over as the full-time starter at Texas.

Manning’s time as the full time starter at Texas got off to a slow start on the road against Ohio State. That was excusable, but further sluggish games against San Jose State and UTEP have drawn out that frustration. In their most recent game, Manning finished completing just 11 of 25 passes for 114 yards and one touchdown with one interception. He also rushed 51 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

At one point in the UTEP game, Manning threw 10 passes incomplete in a row. He’d hear boos at one point during the game. After the game, head coach Steve Sarkisian reacted to that frustration that fans were showing Manning.

“We’ve just got to get a little rhythm at quarterback,” Sarkisian said. “I told Arch before the season, you’ve never really been a quarterback until they boo you. He got booed in the first half. Now, he can start playing.”

Booger McFarland reacts to ‘most alarming thing’ about Arch Manning

There have clearly been issues with Arch Manning’s play to open the season. After all of the excitement surrounding him entering the season, there’s now a lot of interest in why he hasn’t lived up to that. For analyst Booger McFarland, it comes down to his accuracy.

McFarland took to social media to share his thoughts. There, he wrote, “Thru almost 3 games the most alarming thing is he is a very inaccurate qb consistently.”

Texas is sitting at 2-1 going into Week 4. There, the Longhorns will round out non-conference play against Sam Houston State, another team that Manning is expected to put up massive numbers against. There, the expectation is that he’s going to take another step forward.