While the Tennessee Volunteers made headlines this week by earning a commitment from highly touted 2023 quarterback prospect Nico Iamaleava, everyone is still waiting to see where Arch Manning decides to play college football.
The nephew of Peyton and Eli is considered by most as the No. 1 quarterback prospect in the Class of 2023 and he’s kept his cards extremely close to his vest as he prepares for his senior season at Isidore-Newman in New Orleans, LA.
Manning, who is said to be considering Texas, Alabama, Georgia as his favorites, while keeping LSU, Ole Miss, and Florida on his radar, recently visited Athens, GA to see what spring practice is like for the defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs.
According to high school coach Nelson Stewart, Manning and his family had a heck of a weekend while there.
“They loved Athens,” Stewart said, via DawgNation. “They were certainly beyond and in every way impressed with their organization, their practices, their meetings, and the efficiency in how they did things. They loved it.
“I’d expect that with the way Coach Smart runs his practices and how energetic he is. There is no standing around. There is always a sense of urgency. They loved it. They came away nothing but impressed after their visit.
“I think that he loves Athens. He loves the town itself. That was the first thing he said about Athens to me. It was such a cool town and a great college town. They had known Matt Luke at Georgia, too. I think he loves Coach Smart and his energy and how he is involved in everything. You can see it. Special teams. Offense. Defense.”
Manning is said to be doing an “old school” recruitment where he doesn’t make announcements about his top five, he doesn’t interact with schools or fans on social media, and he isn’t interested in discussing NIL arrangements. According to Stewart, Arch will decide on his school “100 percent” on his own and that will likely be the only decision.
The Texas Longhorns have been considered the slight favorite for a while now, but given how enjoyable the Manning’s visit to Athens was, you have to wonder if the defending champs made enough of an impact to sway the QB. However, Manning’s next campus visit is scheduled to be in Austin, Texas on March 24, so you can be sure that Steve Sarkisian’s program will pull out all the stops as well.
