The college football world has been waiting a long time to find out which school Arch Manning, nephew of Peyton and Eli, will commit to. They’ll still have to wait a bit longer as Manning isn’t expected to announce his decision until the summer, the specific schools that appear to be the frontrunners are coming into focus.
According to On3, Manning is said to be favoring five schools in particular. They are the Texas Longhorns, Georgia Bulldogs, Alabama Crimson Tide, Ole Miss Rebels, and Clemson Tigers.
“Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Ole Miss, and Clemson." @InsideTexas has the latest on Arch Manning's recruitment, including one school working hard to get him on campus for its junior day. (On3+) https://t.co/AEGfl2J3eN
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) January 11, 2022
None of these are too surprising to anyone who has been paying attention. SEC schools have been regulars at his football games, including Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin. Georgia and Texas were cited as the favorites for Manning’s services a few months back, though it was noted that Alabama, LSU, Clemson, and Ole Miss were right behind.
Texas has long been considered one of the front-runners given Steve Sarkisian’s relationship with the Mannings. And as far as Alabama is concerned, many saw Nick Saban’s comments during his ManningCast appearance as a not-so-subtle hint to Arch.
On the Manningcast Nick Saban said it’s important that a quarterback go to the team where he’ll be surrounded by the most talent. I’m sure that wasn’t directed at Arch Manning.
— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) September 28, 2021
Of course, there’s still lots of time for relationships to grow and coaches to make their pitches. Oklahoma also recently offered Manning, which makes sense as many of the coaches there came from Clemson, where they’d likely been making their pitch beforehand.
Hearing that the #Sooners have apparently offered 2023 5⭐️ QB Arch Manning from Isidore Newman. He and Jeff Lebbey have a great relationship so a visit to Norman in the future is looking very likely.
— Bada Boomers! (@TheBadaBoomers) January 10, 2022
There are no sure things in recruiting but given his pedigree and the stats he’s been putting up in high school, whoever ends up getting Manning is going to be very excited about the possibilities ahead. More to come in this crucial recruiting battle, especially amongst SEC powers.
[On3]
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.