Fact or Fiction: Quinn Ewers was a better prospect than Arch Manning
Rivals national recruiting analyst Nick Harris, national recruiting director Adam Gorney, Cole Patterson of Orangebloods.com and Mark Passwaters of AggieYell.com tackle three topics and determine whether each is FACT or FICTION.
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CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
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1. Quinn Ewers was a better high school prospect than Arch Manning currently is.
Harris' take: FACT. When Quinn Ewers was coming out of high school, I routinely coined him as a generational talent, and I don't necessarily see Arch Manning in the same category. Ewers had the accolades, the better competition and was simply more talented coming out of high school. When Ewers made the late decision to reclassify to the 2021 class and enroll at Ohio State early, it was a no-brainer to make him the top prospect in the country in a class that had a year up on him. I'm not so sure it would've been as easy for Manning to do the same.
Gorney's take: FACT. Even though Manning is under an incredible microscope, he's also largely untested. The No. 1 player in the class has not done any big camps, played in any big-time 7on7 tournaments and it's not expected that he'll play in a major all-star game, either. Still, he's phenomenally talented and has the pedigree of a superstar. But Ewers was absolutely the better prospect. His showing at the Elite 11 was outstanding, he throws the ball differently than other guys with such ease and zip, and he was just on another level. Ewers was so good he reclassified and still ended up the No. 1 player in the class. I love Manning and everything he brings to the table, but Ewers was a better prospect coming out of high school.
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2. Texas A&M will land another five-star in the 2023 class.
Harris' take: FACT. This depends on one thing for me, and it's if Peyton Bowen flips from Notre Dame to Texas A&M. Of the current five-stars that are in the mix for Texas A&M, I just don't see Malachi Nelson, Zachariah Branch or Javien Toviano landing in College Station at the moment, but I do see Bowen landing with Jimbo Fisher at this point. While Bowen isn't a five-star at the moment, I think he will earn that status by the end of the cycle.
Patterson's take: FACT. While Texas A&M may be lacking in quantity, the Aggies are certainly not lacking in quality. Fisher and staff have landed multiple five-star and Rivals100 prospects this class and are in the thick of things for a handful of other high-level recruits. The Aggies are in the game for defensive backs Toviano and Bowen. Five-star receiver Hykeem Williams plans on officially visiting College Station before signing despite committing to Florida State this week. A&M also made waves this summer when Branch and Nelson visited campus. In the end, I like the odds of Texas A&M adding another five-star when the book is closed on the 2023 recruiting cycle.
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3. There is a greater than 50% chance that Texas A&M flips Malik Muhammad from Texas.
Harris' take: FACT. Muhammad's original commitment came down to Texas and Texas A&M, and there was quite a bit of communication at the time between the Muhammad family and the family of five-star linebacker Anthony Hill. Since Muhammad's commitment, Hill has committed to Texas A&M and has been pushing the South Oak Cliff standout to make the move to College Station. Muhammad will see Texas A&M once again on Oct. 21, but this time on an official visit. If Texas A&M's defense continues to shine and Texas' performances continue to be rocky, especially on the defensive side of the ball, this one could get very interesting.
Passwaters' take: FICTION (barely). I’d put it right at dead even. People who have talked to him feel like he’s “flippable,” and the fact he’s taking an official to A&M in late October certainly adds fuel to that fire. If the Aggies continue to win and pick up commits like David Hicks Jr., then the advantage shifts to them. But he’s still a Texas commit and if the Longhorns get their act together that could convince him to stay put.