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Arch Manning is widely considered to be the top player in the 2023 college football recruiting class. The No. 1 ranked prospect committed to Texas over the summer and is set to begin his career with the Longhorns in a little over a year.
Manning, like his uncles and grandfather before him, is expected to compete at the highest level over his college career before making the jump to the NFL. And much like those predecessors, he’ll exit the high school ranks with 5-star status.
But there’s one recruiting expert that believes the signal caller is riding high from the Manning name, alone. He makes a wild claim about the passer, saying he’d be ranked much, much lower if his last name was Smith.
Mike Farrell, the “Godfather of Recruiting,” appeared on the Crain and Co. podcast to talk about Manning’s recruitment and future at the college level.
He believes that Arch Manning would be a 3-star prospect without the notable surname.
Mike Farrell says Arch Manning would be a 3-star recruit without his last name
When asked how much of Manning’s status comes from his abilities and how much comes from the last name, Farrell replied the following.
“If his name was Arch Smith, I think he’d be a high three-star quarterback. He plays a very low level of competition… He had a really good freshman season. I wouldn’t say regression, but he hasn’t progressed when he’s had to step up against other competition. Especially in the playoff game where he looked awful.
“The Manning name is important… (Arch is a) high three star if the last name is Smith… Every time I watch other quarterbacks in this class it knocks Arch down in my head.”
Wow.
Farrell isn’t some schlub, either. He’s the former National Director of Recruiting for Rivals. He’s still widely connected in the college football recruiting world. This opinion certainly isn’t one to be taken lightly.
Still, it probably won’t have much effect on Manning as he’s already committed to his college of choice, and he had everyone in the country begging for him to join their roster.
The previous Manning quarterbacks have had incredible success at the college and professional levels. Let’s see if Arch can prove Farrell wrong and follow in their footsteps.