Paul Finebaum ‘Convinced’ There is Massive Quarterback Controversy for College Football Powerhouse

Quarterback play is essential for college football programs vying for a national championship. The position is already challenging enough with the amount of expectation that rests on signal-caller's shoulders, but that pressure can also be compounded by talent waiting in the shadows.

ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum sees a comparable situation currently developing with the new AP No. 1 Texas Longhorns (3-0). Starting quarterback and Heisman Trophy contender, Quinn Ewers, went down with a significant injury last week against UTSA. That prompted an appearance by former five-star Arch Manning, who lit up the stat sheet and the scoreboard enough to draw some conversation on who should lead Texas moving forward.

Ewers is questionable for Saturday's matchup against UL Monroe with an abdominal strain. There is a good chance that Manning, a redshirt freshman, will make the first start of his young career as a Longhorn.

Manning completed 9-of-12 passes for 223 yards with four touchdowns. He also added a 67-yard touchdown in the 56-7 win over UTSA.

"He proved that he can take (Texas) to the national championship," Finebaum said on ESPN . "What I saw from Arch Manning on Saturday, and what everyone else saw, has me convinced that there's really not much drop-off."

"Do we have a a quarterback controversy?," Finebaum continued. "Yeah, we got the Heisman Trophy favorite Quinn Ewers, at least until last week, now looking over his shoulder at the prodigal son."

All things considered, it is highly unlikely that Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian moves forward with Manning if Ewers gets healthy. The junior is "week to week" headed into the home matchup versus UL Monroe. While Manning will likely get the start against the Sun Belt opponent, Ewers has the big-game experience that the Longhorns will need headed into a slate that features No. 15 Oklahoma (Oct. 12) and No. 2 Georgia (Oct. 19).

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