"It's going to wear on Arch Manning": Urban Meyer reveals biggest roadblock for Texas QB while drawing similarities with Tim Tebow

Paul Finebaum stirred a new debate among college football fans earlier this month. He compared Arch Manning to former Heisman winner Tim Tebow, owing to his skill sets and the amount of hype around him.

Experts like Cam Newton turned down the narrative, claiming it was too early to make such statements. However, legendary coach Urban Meyer has come forward with his assessment of the young quarterback.

Meyer, who coached Tebow during his senior year at Florida, said that there are striking similarities between the ex-Gators star and Manning. While the skill sets and Manning's arm strength remains to be seen, the hype train was the same. It's something that he hasn't seen in over a decade since Tebow.

Meyer added that this pressure could wear Manning down because the expectations keep on increasing even if he finishes the season with a perfect record.

He shared the example of Tebow, that despite wrapping up senior year with a 12-0 record, fans were unsatisfied. The program also dealt with never-ending fan expectations.

“He plays in the SEC,” Meyer said on Friday (10:00), via "The Herd with Colin Cowherd." “He’s going to play SEC defenses each week. He’s playing the Ohio State Buckeyes early. I think he’s a tremendous talent, but I’m glad he’s got a head coach like Sark that knows how to handle pressure like this because the pressure on him will be immense. “We haven’t witnessed this kind of pressure on a player, I’m saying, since Tim Tebow’s senior year at the University of Florida. It was nonstop. We went 12-0 his senior year and nothing was good enough. And I worry about that. That wears on you. That wears on the staff, but most importantly, it’s going to wear on Arch Manning.”

Steve Sarkisian raves about Arch Manning’’s swagger at SEC Media Days

While speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Steve Sarkisian embraced the outside noise around Arch Manning. He also expressed that things like these become insignificant when he plays on the field.

Sarkisian shared an instance from practice, with Manning forgetting all the hype when he gets to the end zone and celebrates with teammates. He remains super focused.

One of the biggest advantages for Texas this season would be an improved run game. Manning is known for his ability to make plays deep into the opponent's backyard.

Expect nothing less than an excellent record for Sarkisian & Co. in the 2025 campaign.

Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez