"He's almost treated like LeBron James was at St. Vincent": Ex-NFL scout overwhelmed by Arch Manning hype train before 2025 season 

Heading into the 2025 college football season, there are few players with as high expectations as Arch Manning. The Texas QB is projected by many fans and media members to be one of, if not the best, quarterbacks in college football. He is getting this hype despite never starting a full season at the college level.

However, some have preached caution when it comes to the expectations Manning is getting. On Thursday, former NFL scout John Middlefauff appeared on "The Colin Cowherd Podcast." On the show, Middlekauff compared the hype Maning is receiving to what NBA superstar LeBron James experienced during his high school days.

"Rodgers' brother said today that the hype train is out of control," Middlekauff said (Timestamp 2:45). "I would almost agree a little bit. He's almost treated like LeBron was at St. Vincent or Bryce Harper was at high school on the front of Sports Illustrated. This is really hard.

"Usually when you get the hype behind you, it's after you play like Andrew Luck, or Trevor Lawrence, or Caleb (Williams), Baker Mayfield. Like you've played a season and everyone's like, you're incredible."

Middlekauff then spoke about what could happen if Arch Manning does live up to the hype. He admitted that if he reaches those lofty expectations, Texas will be a serious contender next season.

"He's already treated like he's gonna be better than his uncle," Middlekauff said. "It's gonna be hard, especially in that conference, but if he does live up to the hype, they're gonna be an unstoppable force because of the money behind him."

Arch Manning is one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy

One of the biggest indicators of Arch Manning's hype is where he is projected in the Heisman Trophy race. According to FanDuel, in mid-July, Manning is the preseason favorite to win the award with +700 odds. He is ahead of more established college quarterbacks like LSU's Garrett Nussmeier and Clemson's Cade Klubnik.

However, Manning has limited starting experience at the college level. He was a backup behind Quinn Ewers in Texas for the past two seasons. This past year, he got the opportunity to start a few games while Ewers was injured, but it was nowhere close to the workload he will experience in 2025. So, it would not be a shock if Manning experiences some growing pains in his first year as a starter.