MaxPreps (YouTube)
If you want to talk about people who won the genetic lottery, then Arch Manning’s name would be towards the top of the list. Son of Cooper Manning and nephew to Peyton Manning and Eli Manning, the soon-to-be sophomore at a New Orleans prep high school has already earned a ton of praise given his football talent — being named the National High School Freshman Football Player Of The Year — and is sure to have college football coaches salivating about the prospect of adding the quarterback in a few years.
While the teenager is still a couple of years away from being bombarded by college football scholarships, that hasn’t stopped the speculation about where Arch Manning may end up. In a recent piece about his future recruitment, his dad, Cooper, talked about how the family’s handling all the attention, adding that there’s already some pressure to stay close to home and play for the LSU Tigers.
“It’s funny. All my good friends locally in New Orleans are big LSU fans so they’ve been giving him a hard time for a long time about coming up to Baton Rouge,” Cooper revealed. “They’ve got a great program and Coach O has done unbelievable. Arch is friends with Walker Howard, just committed there. They’re good buddies for a long time and I know Jamie well. They’ve got it going right now, no question.”
Although Arch Manning will certainly have people trying to lure him to LSU in a few years, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll definitely end up there. Like his Uncle Peyton — who ended up playing college ball at Tennessee instead of following in his dad’s footsteps at Ole Miss — Arch could want to pave his own path and go against the grain when it comes to his college choice. And, while Arch is still a few years away from having to make a decision, college football analyst Mike Detillier at least offered some idea as to which programs may have the best shot at landing the stud signal-caller.
Per ESPN 104.5:
“When I look at it, who are the two schools that you can name that have pumped out these quarterbacks? Oklahoma – Lincoln Riley, quarterback whisperer. Clemson. Just look at what Clemson has had and it kind of dominoes with Deshaun Watson, Trevor Lawrence and the next cat they’re gonna have after Trevor is pretty doggone good too…I would keep my eye on Oklahoma and Clemson. “
Given the recent success of both programs Detillier mentioned, Clemson and Oklahoma, it’d be a no-brainer for Arch Manning to rank those schools high on his list in a couple of years; assuming all things stay equal. Oklahoma and head coach Lincoln Riley produced back-to-back Heisman Trophy winners and No. 1 overall draft picks, while Clemson and head coach Dabo Swinney have played in four of the past five College Football National Title Games, with the team’s current quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, projected as a top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Who knows what happens when, in 2023, Arch Manning declares his college football decision, but, given his pedigree, talent and continued growth — both physically and mentally — the kid might be the most prized quarterback recruit ever. So, yeah, it’s safe to say he’ll have his choice of any college football program he wants.