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'Terrible Mistake': Paul Finebaum Calls Out Steve Sarkisian Over Arch Manning Update

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cami Griffin | Last updated Sep 12, 2025 11:48 AM ET

We're not in the midst of a college football season if the Texas Longhorns aren't in the news for some reason.

Following Texas' 38-7 win over San Jose State in Week 2, rampant rumors spread across social media regarding the health of quarterback Arch Manning. The concerns initially began after Manning's poor performance against Ohio State in Week 1 but heightened after a viral video surfaced of him appearing to wince in pain while attempting a pass against San Jose State.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian quickly shut down the injury rumors earlier this week. However, some national media analysts believe the fifth-year coach didn't handle the injury accusations appropriately.

ESPN's Paul Finebaum joined the "Rich Eisen Show" this week and made strong comments about Sarkisian and Manning. "What Steve Sarkisian did this week was just so wildly weird and inappropriate," Finebaum said. "When you turn a simple question into a two or three or four-day story you've made a terrible mistake."

The heavily opinionated analyst felt the handling of the injury accusations was a rare occurrence for Sarkisian, who appeared to turn the question back on the reporter.

"One thing is for sure, he's not nearly as good as I said he was and a few other people thought he was," Finebaum said.

We'll see if Manning's play improves in Week 3 when Texas hosts UTEP at 4:15 p.m. ET on Saturday on the SEC Network.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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