Cam Newton defends Arch Manning's choice to remain at Texas as backup: 'Get you to the league in three years'

Former NFL MVP and Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton came to the defense of Arch Manning amid criticism over his decision to spend two years as the backup to Quinn Ewers at Texas, saying that developing as a backup was a wise approach by Arch and his family.

Manning, who now enters his first season as a starting quarterback and the presumptive favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, had been targeted by critics such as former Florida coach Steve Spurrier who have questioned the hype surrounding him on the basis of his spending two years behind Ewers, who eventually only amounted to a seventh round NFL Draft pick.

On his 4th & 1 podcast, Newton issued a reminder that the Manning family sent Arch to Texas with the understanding that they were trying to put him in the best situation to develop into the best possible quarterback by the time he's eligible for the NFL. In the Transfer Portal era of college football and an increased demand for instant gratification, Newton served a reminder of the usefulness of such an approach.

"A lot of these parents and a lot of these players get so jaded off of the fact that 'hey, I'm trying to play early.' No no no no no no, scratch that," Newton said. "Go somewhere that after three years you can put yourself in a position to go to the league. That doesn't mean that I'm going somewhere where I can play early or start. Just because you're starting doesn't mean you're getting developed."

Newton went on to compare Manning's situation to his own time at Florida, where he credited being a backup to Tim Tebow as showing him what he was missing as a quarterback despite the immense physical talent that later led to him winning a national championship at Auburn and winning NFL MVP honors with the Carolina Panthers. In the same sense, Newton believed that the time Manning spent backing up Ewers should have served him well.

"I've always felt like I was more talented than Tim Tebow. But I needed Tim Tebow to show me what I lacked. Tim Tebow was an unbelievable leader, verbally and by actions," Newton said. "Arch will 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."

As comes with his last name and the level of hype he has received with limited playing experience, Manning has been put in the crosshairs of critics over whether his presumptive place as the top quarterback in the country is justified. Former Florida coach Steve Spurrier recently scoffed at the idea of Manning and Texas being anointed, saying that "if he was this good how come they let Quinn Ewers play all the time last year? He was a seventh round pick?"

Manning's performance, and whether he turns Texas into a national championship contender, will set the tone for much of the 2025 college football season as a whole -- and speaking further, Newton went on to say that Manning's hype is the most for a quarterback at the University of Texas since Vince Young in the 2000s.