Arch Manning Overtaken As No. 1 Overall Recruit In Latest ’23 Rankings

Arch Manning watches a Texas game.

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Arch Manning has been unseated as the nation’s top prospect according to one major recruiting outlet. He now ranks as the No. 3 player and No. 2 quarterback in the 2023 cycle.

Arch, the nephew of former NFL passers Eli and Peyton Manning, has been widely considered the best player in the upcoming high school class. The latest news has led to reaction from college football fans.

Throughout the recruiting process, all major services listed the Texas Longhorn signee as a five-star prospect. He’d landed No. 1 overall status at 24/7 Sports and On3, while he is the second-ranked player on ESPN’s recruiting site.

Now, On3 has bumped him down a couple of spots with their latest rankings.

Arch Manning has been jumped by defender Keon Keeley, Alabama’s top-rated recruit in the ’23 cycle, as well as new No. 1 overall player Nico Iamaleava. Iamaleava, a California native, will join Josh Heupel on Rocky Top as he looks to keep the Tennessee offense humming over the next few seasons.

The news of the ratings adjustments has gone viral on social media, leading many around college football to post their reactions. Here’s what fans were saying online.

Some agreed, with one person saying, “Arch is average… Only number 1 because of his name.” That’s been a popular narrative this recruiting season, with one analyst going as far as to say Arch would be a three-star prospect without the Manning surname.

Others, however, reject that notion. This fan commented, “Saying Arch is only good because of his name is the most unserious take in football right now.”

Whether you believe him to be the best passer in the class or not, I think we all know the reasoning behind the recent ratings drop. He’s already fumbled his student ID twice since arriving on campus at Texas.

Of course, this latest shuffle doesn’t mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of things. Arch Manning and the two players that supplanted him in the rankings are already enrolled with their new schools. We’ll find out soon enough who the most talented players are when these youngsters take the field.