Arch Manning has bucked every trend in recruiting and it is working to his favor.
In a world of instant gratification or head to the transfer portal, Manning has patiently waited behind Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and when called upon - like in his breakout performance Saturday night after Ewers went down with an oblique strain - Manning was there to deliver.
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The No. 1 prospect in the 2023 Rivals250, Manning had five total touchdowns including a majestic 67-yard run in Texas’ 56-7 rout of UTSA.
Manning’s first throw of the game was on a 19-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Moore where the five-star quarterback rolled to his right and found Moore who got into the end zone.
On his long touchdown run, Manning took the run-pass option, juked UTSA defensive back Elliott Davison out of his shoes and then accelerated past the other defenders to get into the end zone - making sure to look back and maybe share a few words as he walked into the end zone.
Reel Analytics clocked Manning at 20.7 miles per hour on that run, faster than some NFL wide receivers last week.
Manning kept pouring it on. A dump-off to Alabama transfer receiver Isaiah Bond went for a 51-yard touchdown. He got sandwiched by two UTSA blitzers but still found a wide open Ryan Wingo for a 75-yard score. And Manning threw a nice 12-yard touchdown pass to Johntay Cook from the other hash into the back of the end zone.
Maybe his nicest throw of the night went to Wingo again as Manning rolled to his left and threw across his body to the Texas receiver for another big gain down the field.
“It’s always hard to have a backup that doesn’t really have a ton of experience,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “Arch was really our third guy last year the bulk of the season and didn’t get a ton of experience. When we went into spring ball, we thought, ‘OK, Quinn is the starter but we have to make sure Arch is ready to play and you never know when that could happen.’
“You go back to the spring game and that was the reasoning behind what we did. Arch basically played the whole game with the one offense and Trey (Owens) played the whole game with the two offense just to get them some experience. We take a lot of price in our practices and competitive and going good on good and things of that nature to make as many game-like situations as we can but there’s nothing like being in the game and playing. Playing in front of 105,000 people is not the easiest thing to do.”
The challenging part with Manning’s ranking was not that we didn’t see talent - but to literally see the talent.
In a class filled with five-star quarterbacks (some hits, some misses so far), Manning landed in the No. 1 spot not only at the position but overall despite doing no camps. No Elite 11. No Rivals Camps Series events. He showed up at the Manning Passing Academy but that’s not worth much to us.
He didn’t play 7-on-7. Some showings with his New Orleans (La.) Isidore Newman team but nothing on a national level. Nothing against top-end competition. Nothing like all the others who toured the country, throwing at numerous events and backing up their status.
Nico Iamaleava and Malachi Nelson were regulars at camps and 7-on-7s and had a shootout for the books at one Rivals Camp Series event in Los Angeles. Dante Moore and Jackson Arnold weren’t as regular on the national scene but they did all the big events.
We covered some of Manning’s high school games but that only gives a limited look. We also took in a Isidore Newman basketball game (Manning dunked in warmups) as then-Alabama coach Nick Saban looked on.
Whether it was his doing or he was taking advice from his father, grandfather or two famous uncles - Peyton and Eli - Manning worked through the recruiting process totally differently.
He didn’t choose a school where he would play from Day 1. Or from Day 2. Manning has taken his time, developed, gotten better and picked playing for a coach who’s a genius offensive mind.
Maybe Ewers comes back soon, takes over the starting job again and Manning waits more. He seems fine with it.
In a college football landscape where no one waits for success - not players, not coaches, not administrators - Manning has waited. And waited. And he seems fine with it.
His style is not the norm. But it’s certainly working out for the five-star phenom who showed a little of what he can do on Saturday night.
