(ESPN) The recruitment of blue-chip quarterback Arch Manning, a rare collision of talent, pedigree and possibility, captivated college football for years.
Manning ended the intrigue Thursday afternoon, committing to Texas over suitors that included Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Clemson and Virginia.
Although Manning has long been considered the top player in the class of 2023, the family remained intent on attempting to keep his recruitment as low-key as possible. His Instagram is private, and he has not been an active participant in name, image and likeness opportunities. But keeping things low-key has still been difficult, considering the family’s football history and the magnitude of how much his decision could sway a program’s fortune.
Manning even used his first tweet to make the announcement, on a verified Twitter account with a bio that simply says “high school student.”
Committed to the University of Texas. #HookEm pic.twitter.com/jHYbjBaF5K
— Arch Manning (@ArchManning) June 23, 2022
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian also reacted to Manning’s announcement, first retweeting his new quarterback recruit then writing “All Gas, No Brakes!!!” in a follow-up post.
Manning is a nephew of Eli and Peyton Manning, a grandson of Archie Manning and son of former Ole Miss wide receiver Cooper Manning. He is the star quarterback at Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans — throwing for 5,731 yards and 72 touchdowns in his first three years of high school football — and has been considered a top-flight prospect since middle school.
Any morsel of news around the quarterback has rippled significantly throughout the recruiting universe. The commitment of Manning’s high school teammate and close friend Will Randle, a three-star tight end who committed to Texas earlier this week, drew interest as it represented a bellwether for where Manning could be leaning.
“He made this decision on his own. This was his decision to make,” said Nelson Stewart, Manning’s high school coach. “I’m just happy he’s where he needs to be. He’s an 18-year old kid. There was a lot on his shoulders. Took his time and showed a lot of maturity.
“When it comes to that family, the choice was his.”
Stewart said that, from the start, the family stressed Arch Manning having an “old-school, 1970s type recruitment.”
“It unfolded naturally. I’m just so proud of him,” Stewart said. “Hope he can rest and enjoy his senior year with his friends and take that next step. There’s a huge ceiling in front of him.”
Manning’s commitment to Texas represents him both carving his own path and perhaps reuniting with the family’s SEC roots. The Manning family has strong ties at Ole Miss and Tennessee, and Arch Manning could end up as a link to the SEC, as he could be Texas’ starting quarterback in 2025, when the Longhorns are slated to debut in the conference.
