Archie Manning Admits Arch Had Tough Time Turning Down Top SEC Coaches, Praises Cooper For Recruitment Approach

Archie Manning is very proud of Arch, and his father Cooper, for how they approached the most highly-scrutinized recruitment in recent college football history. In an era where NIL exists and social media reins king, the first grandson of football mostly kept to himself.

Only he and his immediate family knew what was going on throughout the process. Not Eli, not Peyton, not Archie. Just Arch, Cooper, Ellen, and his brother and sister. Well, and the coaches.

Being the top-ranked prospect in the country comes with a lot of pressure. Adding the most famous name in football to that equation only turns up the heat.

And yet, just like he is in the pocket, Arch was cool, calm and collected.

Well I totally stayed out of the way. I was very proud of his dad, the way he handled the recruiting. You know recruiting’s changed so much since my boys went through it and I’m not sure all of it’s good. Cooper kind of took an old-fashioned approach and the whole family made their visits to various schools and just let Arch make his own decision where he wanted to go.

Among the schools that had interest in Arch, Ole Miss, Georgia, Alabama, Clemson, LSU and Virginia were considered to be amongst those most prominently in the mix. In the end, though, it was Texas.

Turning down the Crimson Tide and the two-time reigning national champions isn't easy. Even for Arch Manning.

But I think he did his due diligence, I think he took a great look at a lot of schools. I know he made four visits to Texas, four visits to Georgia, four visits to Alabama, I know he had a hard time telling coach (Nick) Saban and coach (Kirby) Smart no but he made his choice and he wanted to play for coach Sark and he’s over there enrolled now.

In the end, it sounds like Arch made the best choice for him. And as the role for his freshman year becomes more clear, his grandfather said that he's fitting right in.

I went over last week, really to watch some golf, but got to watch practice and he looks like he belongs and he’s real happy. And he’s still just a high school senior really, but I think every young man should enjoy college experience and I hope he can enjoy his.

Arch's recruitment could have been a media circus. Instead, although there was a lot of coverage surrounding his every move, the entire process was on his terms and without chaos. It is a testament not only to the quarterback himself, but his family.