Steve Sarkisian Praises Arch Manning's Family For Important Role In Recruitment, Avoiding Media Circus

Outside of maybe Trevor Lawrence, no college football recruitment was as highly scrutinized as Arch Manning. The grandson of Archie, nephew of Peyton and Eli, and son of Cooper had his every move documented along the way before ultimately ending up in Austin.

There was a lot of pressure on Arch. He was the No. 1 overall recruit in his class and carries a last name with significant weight. And yet, despite all of the outside noise, he and his family kept things very private and didn't let anything get in the way of what was right for him.

Family ties were important, but didn't matter. Going to a program that allowed Arch to start as a freshman didn't matter, as exemplified by how things are shaping out during spring practice. Finding a school with the most opportunity for financial gain through NIL didn't matter.

It was about finding the perfect fit from a football and life standpoint. That was Texas.

Cooper and Ellen, Arch's mother and father, deserve a lot of credit. They didn't put any pressure on their son. They didn't rush him into a decision or force him in a specific direction.

Arch Manning's recruitment was cool, calm and collected.

Steve Sarkisian agrees. He recently spoke to the role that Arch's family played in the recruitment during an appearance on Bussin' With The Boys, and noted that neither Eli nor Peyton were involved.

I tell his mom and dad all the time they did an unbelievable job raising him and in the process. I never talked to Peyton. I never talked to Eli. I talked to Cooper, I talked to Ellen, I talked to Arch, I talked to Hyde, I talked to May. It was about the family, truly the family. It wasn’t about the Manning brand.

Where outside factors could have come to the forefront during Arch's recruitment, he and his family made sure to look at the whole picture. They didn't narrow-in on just one thing.

It was about Arch Manning and is this the best fit for him to go to school. Football-wise, academically, socially, the city of Austin. I think that’s why they got to a spot to where they could make a clear-minded decision of what was best for him.

Arch's recruitment would have come with a lot of coverage based on the fact that he was a five-star, top-ranked quarterback. With that being said, the last name certainly played a role in the hype.

Arch Manning is the first grandson of football.

However, despite how chaotic it could have been, Sarkisian appreciates that the process never became something bigger than it needed to be.

It wasn’t this enormous media circus. They kept that thing pretty tight but they went about it in a really positive way. They took unofficial visits, they took official visits. They created relationships with coaches at the varying schools and they’re all great schools. Ultimately, they felt like this is the best place for him. I think it came down to what he wanted and then the family supported him.

Everything about Arch's recruitment set it up to be a whirlwind. It wasn't.

The Manning family decided that the rollercoaster wasn't for them, so they simply didn't get on.