In late March 2022, I was in New Orleans for the Rivals Camp Series and I thought it would be an opportune time to interview five-star quarterback Arch Manning.
I’ve done thousands of these interviews over the years with the best players in football. This would be a piece of cake.
It was like trying to schedule an audience with the Pope. I tried through our regional analyst at the time and we didn’t get much of a response. I tried through New Orleans (La.) Isidore Newman coach Nelson Stewart, a super nice guy who was more than accommodating with me, but no luck with Manning.
I was told he left early for a trip to Texas even though I made it perfectly clear I was available morning, noon or night to sit down with Manning, just for 10 minutes.
Couldn’t be worked out.
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About three months later, Manning committed to the Longhorns with his first-ever social media post on June 23, 2022, simply saying “Committed to the University of Texas. #HookEm” and a picture of him throwing in a Texas t-shirt.
He wouldn’t provide quotes on his commitment and again he was unavailable for comment. Again, Stewart was a total pro, was great to the media and genuinely was a great person to deal with through Manning’s recruitment.
A few days after his Texas commitment, Manning was a no-show at Elite 11. Manning’s senior season rolled around and then the all-star games happened and again, Manning didn’t participate in those, either.
From start to finish of his high school career, Manning played in exactly zero national events.
Throughout his recruitment, I was critical of the way he was being handled. Friends said Manning was great, a normal guy, just wanted to be around his team and be a kid. Totally cool dude.
Then last week, something else popped up when Manning opted out of the new EA Sports College Football 25 game (unlike a reported 10,000 other athletes) for what could only be a contrived and barely understandable reason: He’s focused on playing football on the field.
What?
Manning doesn’t have to design the game or even play the thing. He just has to give the go-ahead to use his name and likeness to create a pixelated character on a screen. Even that is too much, I guess.
After that report was released, I tweeted “Live a little Arch. It’s fun out here in the real world!”
I meant it. If Manning is as good as expected, he will take over from Quinn Ewers after this season and be a superstar. The media will fawn all over him, especially at Texas. He will be a top NFL Draft pick.
What’s the use in hiding and being handled by whomever is calling these shots to basically not join society, not be involved like every other: 1. College athlete and 2. College kid to just let go a little bit and stop measuring every inch of every aspect of your life?
Trevor Lawrence was the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft and is leading a resurgence in Jacksonville. He hung out at Rivals events all the time, he played in the All-American Bowl. He’s OK. Same with Bryce Young, Justin Fields, Kyler Murray, Tua Tagovailoa, Nico Iamaleava, Dante Moore and the list goes on and on.
I remember a late-night media session in Redondo Beach after an Elite 11 workout a few summers ago with Ewers where he was surrounded by media for at least 15-20 minutes. He didn’t love it but the five-star quarterback got through it. He didn’t melt.
Bryce Young’s dad and I still talk. Young went to everything to prove to everybody he was not only a five-star quarterback but the best of the best. I needed a big work favor from Young this past offseason, I hit up Craig Young and a day or two later, the video I needed from Bryce Young was texted to me. Unthinkable in Manning World.
I remember a night in San Antonio at the All-American Bowl when Trevor Lawrence’s whole family showed up at a restaurant where I was eating with some media members and we all hung out and shot the bull for a while. Lawrence seems to have survived that casual interaction with media in a social setting.
My point to Manning and the people around him making these decisions is this: Loosen up. What’s the point of all the work and all the sacrifice and all the talent if you forget to have any damn fun along the way?
