Arch Manning committing to Texas football sent ripples through the college football landscape. Here are three implications of that pledge.
The third generation of the first family of football has chosen where he will play college football. Arch Manning, son of Cooper, nephew of Peyton and Eli, and grandson of Archie, committed to Texas football. The younger Manning has long been the No. 1 player in the 2023 recruiting class.
Arch is a rare combination of elite talent, pedigree, and seemingly limitless potential. The Isidore Newman product threw for over 6,000 yards and 81 touchdowns in three seasons, showing his talent. The pedigree is evident; he could throw to his father Cooper, a great wide receiver until an injury robbed him of his career.
His uncles, two of the best quarterbacks of their generation, could tutor him on how to prepare and watch game film. Arch is an elite athlete who is four times the runner Eli and Peyton ever were; he got those wheels from grandad.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound signal-caller is among the few players to receive a perfect 1.000 rating from 247Sports. Ironically enough, Vince Young and Quinn Ewers are the only other quarterbacks to receive the rating.
What does Manning going to Texas mean for the teams he jilted?
Here are three implications of Arch going to Texas.
3. Georgia still boasts one of the deeper QB rooms in the country
No one is precisely crying that Kirby Smart, Todd Monken, and the Georgia Bulldogs did not land Arch Manning, and no one should, especially the Bulldogs. The 2021 national champions boast one of the deepest quarterback rooms in the country this fall.
There is the obvious argument that Manning’s presence instantly bolsters a team’s cache and could be a game-changer for a program. However, the Bulldogs have their national title in hand and are a contender again this season. They didn’t need him as great as it would have been for Georgia to land Manning.
Georgia will likely run it back with Stetson Bennett this fall but has two blue-chip prospects behind him. Redshirt freshman Brock Vandagriff and redshirt sophomore Carson Beck are nipping at Bennett’s heels.
Now that Manning has decided to sign with Texas, what do the Bulldogs do in 2023? They could potentially attempt to resume pursuing Dante Moore, Dylan Lonergan, and Paul Kessler. The question here is, “Do they need to?”
The short answer is no because Vandagriff and Beck are young and want to wait their turn down in Athens.
2. Georgia was not the only team spurned at the altar by Manning
The Bulldogs were not the only suitors for Arch Manning this year. There were videos and photos of Arch at Clemson, Alabama, and Georgia. There were reports that LSU and Florida were making hard pushes late for Manning. Mississippi was on the table because he’d be the third generation there.
Alabama was running late for Manning, but it seemed as if they knew they were out of the running when they announced quarterback Eli Holstein had committed. A high-end four-star from Zachary, Louisiana, Holstein is a big, strong-armed quarterback who looks to succeed Bryce Young. Not to mention five-star Ty Simpson and four-star Jalen Milroe are there.
LSU might not have been as high on the list as Alabama and Georgia, but it was on the list nonetheless. The Tigers, like Alabama, have good, young quarterback depth with redshirt freshman Garrett Nussmeier and true freshman Walker Howard. The question for the Tigers is who they target in 2023.
The Rebels might not have been much in the running, but that was where Arch’s father Cooper was going to play until a spinal stenosis injury ended his career before playing in Oxford. Florida was also in the running late.
The most significant implication for the teams that did not get him is the players who want to play with him. It will be interesting to see who goes to Texas to play with Arch.
1. Steve Sarkisian landed the biggest recruit in college football history
Steve Sarkisian landing Arch Manning is enormous. Of the teams that were considered finalists for Arch, the Longhorns needed him most. The Steve Sarkisian era got off to a mediocre start finishing 5-7, including losing to Kansas. In addition, Texas did not have a player drafted this year.
Sarkisian had to prove he could recruit a big-time player and Texas had to prove they could still land a big-time player. True, Quinn Ewers committed to the Longhorns before transferring to Ohio State to get his NIL deal. However, even Ewers- the second of the three 1.000 rated Texas quarterbacks- was not received with this much hype.
Manning gives this regime a legitimate cache in recruiting as Arch will attract other top-end recruits to Austin. He is the first number one recruit to sign with Texas in the ESPN 300 era and the first top 20 quarterback since Garrett Gilbert signed in 2009.
Manning gives Sarkisian arguably the most competitive quarterback room in the country. Arch will join Ewers, Hudson Card, and Maalik Murphy in Austin. Though one or more will likely transfer, there is the possibility they could all be on the roster in 2023.
Arch gives the ‘Horns potentially a great bridge to the SEC when they join. If Ewers is everything everyone thinks he is, he’ll play two seasons and be off to the NFL. Manning could potentially start for Texas when they join the conference.