Urban Meyer compares $6.8 million QB Arch Manning to college football legend
As hype continues to build around Texas quarterback Arch Manning, three-time national champion head coach Urban Meyer is familiar with the high expectations facing the first-year starter.
Before Meyer led the Ohio State Buckeyes to their eighth national championship in 2014, he rose to stardom at the helm of the Florida Gators, which won national titles in 2006 and 2008. And those title runs were sparked by one of college football’s greatest all-time players.
In his four-year career, quarterback Tim Tebow helped lead the Gators to a pair of national championships, won the 2007 Heisman Trophy, was a Heisman finalist two more times and earned All-America honors three times.
Meyer brought up Tebow’s acclaimed career when evaluating Manning ahead of the 2025 season. It wasn’t the play on the field that drew the comparison, though.
“I think this will be the player with the highest expectations in the last decade,” Meyer said on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd.” “I put it at the Tebow level where, is anything going to be good enough other than a perfect game?”
Manning has just two starts over his name, but is one of the most recognizable players in the game given his five-star pedigree and unique family legacy. He already holds the highest NIL valuation in college sports at $6.8 million.
With Quinn Ewers off to the NFL, it’s finally the redshirt sophomore’s turn to take the keys of Steve Sarkisian’s offense. That pressure is compounded by the talent-rich Longhorns, which have made back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances and sit first in blue-chip ratio this year.
“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,” Meyer said. “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.”
Manning has shown glimpses of his ability over 12 total appearances, including 10 in 2024. The 6-foot-4, 212-pound passer completed 67.8% of his passes for 939 yards with nine touchdowns to two interceptions last season. Also a threat as a ball carrier, Manning added another 108 yards and four scores on the ground.
The football world will find out quickly if Manning has what it takes to answer the expectations, as Texas is slated to visit defending national champion Ohio State to open the season.
That rematch from the playoff semifinal will take place on Aug. 30 at noon ET (Fox).
