Just about every major school - Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Stanford, Texas and Virginia, among others - has a chance. He has mushroomed into a 6-foot-4, 200-pound superstar, a can’t-miss prospect who is already shattering the passing records set by his famous uncles at Newman.Īnd the most intriguing aspect of his recruitment?

Two years later, as the top-ranked quarterback in the Class of 2023 and the progeny of football royalty, Manning has become the focal point of the greatest manhunt in college football history. “That was when I knew that this recruiting thing was kind of cranking up,” Manning told The Athletic in mid-May. Though he had yet to enter the ninth grade, his helmet dwarfing his rail-thin, 14-year-old frame, everyone understood - even Arch - that the green flag had dropped on one of the most anticipated recruiting races since “The Courting of Marcus Dupree.” It was a purple-and-gold Welcome Wagon, the (unofficial) beginning of the Tigers’ push to land Arch, the most coveted quarterback prospect in decades. Joe Burrow, not yet a Heisman Trophy winner, dropped by to introduce himself. Offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger and running backs coach Mickey Joseph visited with Arch’s mother, Ellen. Then-passing game coordinator Joe Brady talked ball with Cooper. LSU head coach Ed Orgeron chatted up Archie. You didn’t have to play or coach in the NFL or be a recruiting coordinator to recognize that Arch was the proverbial total package, a tantalizing mash-up of Archie’s running skills, Cooper’s athleticism, Eli’s poise and Peyton’s processing power.Īs the Manning clan watched the action from a golf cart on the sideline, a steady stream of LSU coaches and staff members approached the family.

The scion of America’s most famous quarterbacking family was stepping into the light.Ĭumulus clouds billowed high above the Ponderosa as Arch took the field for the first time as Newman’s starting quarterback.

Arch manning class