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“Committed to the University of Texas. #HookEm,” tweeted Arch Manning on Thursday (June 23). The 18-year-old grandson of Archie Manning and nephew of Eli Manning and Peyton Manning has followed in the family business of football. Like his relatives, he is a quarterback, and like Archie, Eli, and Peyton, Arch is a really good quarterback. He was the No. 1-ranked college football recruit in the 2023 class, according to ESPN, and was sought after by such football programs as Clemson, LSU, Virginia, Alabama, and Georgia.
Following Arch’s tweet – the first one on his account — Texas coach Steve Sarkisian reacted to Manning’s announcement by first retweeting his new quarterback recruit and then by writing “All Gas, No Brakes!!!” in a follow-up post. College football analyst Tony Barnhart tweeted, “Peyton Manning went to Tennessee, and Eli Manning went to Ole Miss because that’s where David Cutcliffe was. Arch Manning is headed to Texas because that’s where Steve Sarkisian is. Pretty simple.” Expect Sarkisian and Manning to give the defending college football champions, the Georgia Bulldogs, a run for their money next season. In the meantime, here’s what you need to know about Arch.
Arch Manning Is An American Football Quarterback
Arch Manning has been described as “a rare collision of talent, pedigree, and possibility” by ESPN. He is the star quarterback at Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans, where he has thrown for 5,731 yards and 72 touchdowns in his first three years of high school football. ESPN adds that Arch has been considered “a top-flight prospect since middle school.”
While any child with the last name “Manning” was going to draw the football world’s attention, one coach who recruited him told ESPN that Arch’s stats speak for himself. “He does have a big arm,” the coach said. “He’s a lot more mobile than everyone thinks. He’s not like a Manning who can’t move. He can get out of trouble. He’s not a statue in the pocket. He played basketball and can dunk. He’s a prototypical kid that sees the field well. He’s not going to make bad decisions and not make bad plays worse and will truly run the offense.”
He Might Be The Best Manning Yet
Arch is reportedly” more mobile” than his two uncles when they were coming out of high school.
“He’s got the quickest release that I’ve ever seen, just how fast the ball gets out,” Nelson Stewart, Manning’s coach at Isidore Newman School told ESPN. “His load to release is almost eerie. He snaps his wrist, and the ball is out. He has tremendous footwork and takes pride in that. His drops are very fast. He has a really good pocket presence. Young quarterbacks sometimes get flushed out and feel the pressure and want to spin and run outside the pocket. He’s not that way. He hangs in there and is willing to take shots.”
Arch Manning Is The Son Of Cooper Manning
Arch is the second-eldest child of Cooper Manning, the oldest of Archie’s sons. Cooper played football at Isidore Newman School as a wide receiver. However, a spinal stenosis diagnosis ended Cooper’s sports career, so he turned to the business and television world. Cooper was a partner at Scotia Howard Weil, an energy investment boutique, per Business Week.
Arch Doesn’t Like Attention
At 6-foot-3 and 204 pounds, Arch is a presence on the field, but online, there’s not much to him. “He has such a good level of humility,” said Nelson Stewart. “He doesn’t like attention, and he doesn’t draw attention to himself. He just likes hanging out with his friends.”
The profile describes Arch as someone who “babysits two days a week during the summer and occasionally on the weekend. He doesn’t play video games and isn’t active on social media.” Outside of five posts on his private Instagram, Arch doesn’t share much.
“I check it for other stuff, but I’m not really on there much,” Arch told ESPN. “I don’t really feel like dealing with all of that.”
“I think I am a regular guy on the team,” said Arch. “I think Newman and New Orleans do a good job with that. I’m just a regular student and high school football player. I think outside of New Orleans, they try to hype it up, but I don’t really think much about the whole Manning deal. I’m just trying to enjoy high school.”
He’s Made His Family Proud
“Arch is a sweet kid,” Archie told ESPN in 2021. “He never gives anybody a problem. I’m proud of him. I’ve had three or four of the freshmen’s daddies come up and tell me how Arch is nice to their sons. These are freshmen who aren’t playing and are probably getting kicked around at practice a little bit. That makes me proud of him.”
“Arch has a good approach,” Archie said then. “I don’t worry about Arch, but I don’t want people to expect too much. He’s getting attention; he’s not asking for that. But I guess that comes with it. … The only thing I ever tell Arch is ‘Have fun.’”
