Paul Finebaum reacts to Arch Manning 'red dot' comment: There's never been anything like him

The Texas Longhorns are preparing for a season where they enter as the Preseason AP No. 1 team in the country, led by the most anticipated quarterback in the country — Arch Manning. Both Manning and the Longhorns know there’s a target on their backs, but Manning recently turned that around on their opponents with some interesting comments that grabbed headlines.

“I think that’s all of us at Texas,” Arch Manning said. “And I think we kind of try to shift the narrative. We’re going for everyone else. The target’s not on our back, but we’ve got a red dot on everyone else.”

Manning’s ‘red dot’ comments got ESPN’s attention. On Get Up ahead of Week 1, Paul Finebaum appeared. There, he responded to those comments, explaining that there hasn’t ever been anyone like Manning before.

“I don’t think we’ve really seen anything like this,” Paul Finebaum said. “You can go back to [Johnny] Manziel in the year after he won the Heisman as a freshman, but that was all about controversy. [Tim] Tebow had already established himself as a freshman as part of a national championship team, as he was the backup. I don’t think there’s ever been anything like Arch Manning. When you listen to him, you start to think, he’s so savvy. But let’s not forget his two uncles are in the television business.”

The excitement for Arch Manning has been building for years, going back to when he was in high school really. That is, of course, in large part, because he’s long since been the next quarterback in the Manning Dynasty. He also had a ton of success at that high school level and became the top recruit in the sport. He would be a five-star recruit in the Class of 2023 and was the top-ranked quarterback in that class.

Since getting to Texas, however, there’s been a limited amount of playing time for Manning. He’s largely been a backup, and now, in his third college season, he’s finally taking over as the full-time starter. The playing time he did receive last season was in relief of Quinn Ewers.

In that limited playing time last season, Arch Manning did flash his talent. He’d finish with a 67.8 completion percent for 939 yards and nine touchdowns to two interceptions. Manning also rushed for 108 yards and another two touchdowns.

On top of all of that, Texas opens with one of the biggest non-conference games of the season. Texas will travel to Columbus to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes. A year removed from Ohio State winning a national championship, Manning will immediately be on a massive stage.