Cam Newton Defends Arch Manning Texas Longhorns Development Plan

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning has once again found himself in the headlines this week, following the comparisons college football analyst Paul Finebaum has made between him and former Florida Gators and NFL quarterback Tim Tebow.

Tebow’s collegiate career has been widely regarded as one of the most impressive ones of all time, highlighted by winning national titles in 2006 and 2008, earning the Heisman trophy in 2007, and earning multiple other achievements during his tenure with the Gators.  

This makes this comparison a bold one, especially given that Manning has only accumulated two starts throughout the past two years of his college football career.

Cam Newton's thoughts on Arch Manning Are Clear

However, as comparisons between the two increase within the media, another national championship-winning quarterback has chosen to comment.

Cam Newton led the Auburn Tigers to a national championship in 2010, and he followed this victory with an 11-year career in the NFL. However, before his lengthy professional career and famous season with the Tigers, Newton spent two years as Tebow’s backup at Florida, in 2007 and 2008. Here’s what the quarterback has to say about his time as a second-string player:

“I’ve always felt like I was more talented than Tim Tebow, but I needed Tim Tebow to show me what I lacked,” Newton said on his podcast, 4th&1. “Tim Tebow is an unbelievable leader, verbally and by action.”

Newton emphasized the importance of development, citing his time as Tebow’s backup as part of the reason he found subsequent success at Auburn.

“Just because you’re starting doesn’t mean you’re getting developed,” Newton said. “He went into the University of Texas with the understanding that they’re trying to put Arch Manning in the best situation to be developed over time. It's not about playing. That's going to come."

Newton, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2010, said that he thinks the player with the most hype is usually the one who earns this award. He also said that he hasn’t seen a Texas quarterback with as much hype as Manning since Vince Young, who spent 2003-2005 with the Longhorns.

Ultimately, Newton’s belief is that Manning’s years as a backup could become known as the ones that were most influential in helping him build his career.

“Arch Manning would be a fool if he has not learned anything from Quinn Ewers, how he prepared, how he led his team, and just how he handled and managed the expectations for being a quarterback at a university like Texas,” he said. 

This year will help test the validity of Newton’s claims, but as a backup himself, it’s a positive sign that he attributes a portion of his success to playing behind Tebow.