ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum boldly predicted that University of Texas quarterback Arch Manning will be a Heisman Trophy finalist next season, calling him the best college quarterback since Tim Tebow — while taking a shot at former ESPN colleague Skip Bayless in the process.
Manning, the nephew of former Giants quarterback Eli Manning, has drawn high expectations heading into the 2025 season. During Wednesday’s episode of “First Take,” Finebaum doubled down on his bold prediction while taking aim at his former colleague.
“That’s a mistake a lot of people in the peanut gallery make, including the panel you have laid out there, Evan,” Finebaum said, alluding to the show’s guest host Evan Cohen leading the segment. “They get hung up on the pros and mix it with college. Tim Tebow was a bust in the NFL. I think we can all agree on that. But I’ve never seen a more meaningful... Skip Bayless somewhere is losing his breakfast. But the point being that Tebow was such a great college player, and I think Arch is made of the same material and I think that’s why he will be all of that.”
Bayless, who appeared on ESPN from 2004 to 2016 before leaving for Fox Sports, was known for his unwavering support of Tim Tebow throughout the quarterback’s college and NFL careers. ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith previously criticized Bayless’ Tebow coverage as excessive on an August 2023 episode of his podcast, saying network executives were not pleased with the approach.
“The public had accused Skip Bayless of being a caricature of himself,” Smith said. “Even though Skip was very proud of his Tim Tebow coverage, the bosses weren’t necessarily enamored with it.”
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Chris Franklin may be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com.
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