Arch Manning has narrowed his list of schools down to four but there are still others in the mix and here are the top five contenders for the elite college football recruit.
Now that the 2022 college football recruiting class is essentially in the books, we turn our focus to 2023 and that means one thing: Arch Manning.
Manning is the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting class and the No. 1 QB. And yes, he’s related to that Manning family as he is the son of Cooper Manning.
Earlier this week, Steve Wiltfong of 247 sports made news about Arch Manning as he reported his top four as Alabama, Texas, Georgia, and Ole Miss. It eliminated Clemson.
But other teams are still trying to work their way into the mix such as Ohio State, LSU, and even Michigan, which offered last month despite five-star Dante Moore being in its own backyard (Detroit).
So, even though Arch Manning has a top four, we are still going to rank the top five contenders to land one of college football’s next great quarterbacks.
5. LSU
LSU might be on the outside looking in of Arch Manning’s top four, but of all the schools, outside of it, the Tigers likely have the most momentum.
Arch Manning is from the state of Louisiana and plays in New Orleans just as Cooper and Peyton Manning did. The Tigers also have Brian Kelly as their head coach now and it’s possible he can get the Tigers back into contention.
After all, Manning is talking about deciding in the fall after taking more visits, so there is plenty of time left in this college football recruiting battle.
4. Ole Miss
Ole Miss is still in the mix here for a couple of reasons. One the Mannings have a history with the school. Arch Manning’s dad went there, and so did Archie and Eli, who were among the best players in school history.
Eli led Ole Miss to a Cotton Bowl championship before he left for the NFL and with Lane Kiffin, a bright NFL mind with a strong history of developing quarterbacks, coaching the Rebels, it makes sense for Arch Manning’s NFL future too.
It feels like the Rebels have work to do but another season of SEC contention might be enough to sway Manning that with him, Ole Miss could do the unthinkable and win an SEC championship.
3. Alabama
I was very close to ranking Alabama fourth because it feels like Nick Saban and company have some work to do. However, with all the success Alabama has had developing quarterbacks over the years and winning national titles, the thought of Arch Manning playing for Saban is frightening.
We’ll see what happens and the truth is, you can never count out Saban but in the battle for Arch Manning, a couple of old assistants seem to be out-pacing him slightly.
2. Georgia
The Bulldogs have a ton of momentum right now in college football recruiting and probably as much as any program outside of Texas A&M.
Georgia had a strong relationship with Arch Manning before it won the national championship. But now the Bulldogs have proven they can beat Alabama and with the defensive side of the ball loaded with talent for the future, UGA could easily be college football’s next dynasty if it lands Arch.
And since the Manning’s have close ties to both Smart and Matt Luke, who is an assistant coach on staff, the Bulldogs were very close to being No. 1 on this list, so don’t be surprised if Manning winds up a Bulldog.
1. Texas
However, one school may have just picked up a big edge when it comes to the recruitment of Arch Manning and that is Texas.
The Longhorns have been a force in college football recruiting since the arrival of Steve Sarkisian and after landing the fifth-ranked class in 2022, Texas is looking to add the No. 1 quarterback in 2023.
Sark and Manning had a relationship dating back to his time with Alabama and if the reports about David Cutcliffe joining his staff are true, then this recruitment could be a done deal. At the very least, Texas would feel like the favorite if Cutcliffe is on board after coaching Peyton at Tennessee and being Eli’s head coach at Ole Miss.
It sounds like this recruiting process is far from over, so this list can change but as of right now I have to give the Longhorns a slight edge based on this new information.