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- As his spring semester of his junior year continues, Arch Manning is taking time to take a step back.
- With new information on coaching changes and transfer portal decisions in college football, a new timeline and new suitors have emerged.
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Arch Manning could go to any school in the country that he wants. The nation’s No. 1 junior college football recruit not only carries the name, but he brings both the tangibles and intangibles that come with it.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound righty can sling it with the best of them and will make you pay when you give him space to take off down field. As a result, every college in the country wants him to play for their program, but only one will get his commitment.
College football’s dead period was lifted late last week and multiple schools have stopped by to check on Manning since. The schedule of coaches that have been or will be in New Orleans this week is deep.
Ole Miss, Georgia, Clemson, Alabama and LSU are the teams that have been heavily in the conversation over the last year or so.
Recently, a few new suitors have emerged.
According to Isidore Newman head coach Nelson Stewart, he has spoken with countless programs over the course during the current open recruiting period. Because Manning is a junior, the coaches cannot speak to him directly, so they try to get to know him the best through Stewart.
Among the newer suitors that have been in conversation, Ohio State had an assistant stop by on Monday, and Florida State is expected soon. Schools that have been in the mix before but haven’t been considered “front-runners” have also increased their push, like Oklahoma (Manning has a relationship with new offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby from his time at Ole Miss) and LSU.
In addition, Florida and its new staff is trying to enter consideration. Head coach Billy Napier, who was hired late in 2021 stopped by Newman with two assistants on Tuesday, which is a new development for a school that was not mentioned much, if at all, in the past.
Per Stewart, Manning is taking the recent coaching changes and transfer portal moves into consideration. It’s as if things are back to square one, in a sense.
“There are a lot of new coaches out there, so I think Arch is looking at things through a new set of eyes now,” Stewart said to On3. “He saw a lot of turnover with coaches, he is aware of the transfer portal, and there have been a lot of changes since the end of the season.”
As a result, the timeline on Manning’s commitment has changed. Many people believed in the fall that a decision could come as early as the spring, allowing Manning to play his senior season without dealing with the recruitment side of things.
That is now unlikely, with a commitment now expected to come in the fall, closer to signing day.
“One thing for sure, Arch is not going to force or rush a decision,” Stewart said to On3. “He has such great options, and he still wants to take a good amount of visits and make sure of a lot of things before making a decision. The thought early was maybe a commitment this spring, but now, it may be more into the fall.”
With his recruitment taking somewhat of a new shape, Manning is taking his time. He is currently in the middle of his high school basketball season and is focused on his play on the hardwood.
Once that season comes to a close, he plans to reevaluate. From there, Manning will set up a schedule of visits, look at who all has offered him, start to narrow things down, and eventually commit.
In the meantime, he is open. Manning doesn’t want to commit without being 100% certain and is in no rush to make a decision on his future.