NEW ORLEANS — Arch Manning is the next signal-caller to come from football’s first family of quarterbacks.
The 2023 prospect, who completed his freshman season starting at quarterback for Isidore Newman School (New Orleans, La.) in 2019, is the son of Cooper Manning. He comes from a family that has seen Archie (grandfather), Peyton and Eli (uncles) Manning have illustrious careers in college and the National Football League.
Isidore Newman had never had a freshman start at quarterback until last season when Arch totaled 2,407 passing yards and 34 touchdowns.
Nelson Stewart played at Isidore Newman alongside Cooper and Peyton and has been the Greenies’ head coach since 2006.
“Arch is the first teammate’s son I have ever had a chance to coach,” Stewart told Vols Wire. “All those years ago, I never thought it would be Cooper’s, and it has been a blessing.”
The latest Manning is dedicated to the sport of football as he continues to develop throughout his high school career.
“It looks like he is going to be real special,” Stewart said of his quarterback. “The biggest thing for us is that we never had a freshman start at quarterback. So that’s something that we have been fortunate to have a lot of success through our history, and we took a lot of our time and really used our 7on7s and offseason to really evaluate it and not push it forward. One of the things I say time and time again, obviously, I have known the Mannings my whole life playing with Peyton and Cooper, and I focus on his first name and not his last.
“The biggest thing about Arch is how rapidly he grew physically and mentally. He really took off in the offseason and worked really hard in the weight room and did not play baseball in the spring. He got in the weight room early with all of our players. All of a sudden you are looking at 5-foot-8 to about 6-foot-2 by the time the season started – 130 pounds to 160-165. He had a really nice year for us. He throws the ball incredibly well, has great footwork, he sets plays, he obviously has a really good football IQ, and again, his release and his decision-making.”
Even after early success and coming from a family that has produced some of the greatest quarterbacks in the sport’s history, the young signal-caller still amazed Stewart by producing as good a freshman season as he did in 2019.
“I wouldn’t have thought that Arch would have been all-state, all-district and all those things,” Stewart said. “That is never something you would expect from someone his age. He is very special, but very young and there is a lot of room for growth. That is why we try to handle him the way that we have in terms of taking steps to let him grow, mature and to keep the noise out with all of these early offers, that has really allowed him to grow.
“His parents have been wonderful, and obviously his grandparents; and it’s nice seeing a Manning. It kind of times out with one’s end with Eli and his amazing career, and it’s great to turn the page and look what is coming up. He is a really special quarterback when it comes to his intangibles. At this point, he hits every key mark and certainly we can’t wait for the next three years.”
It is uncertain where Manning will play collegiately or if he will follow in the family footsteps at the next level in the Southeastern Conference like Peyton did at Tennessee and Archie and Eli at Ole Miss.
Both Ole Miss and Tennessee’s programs have a trajectory to be in stable position in 2023 when Lane Kiffin is slated for his fourth season in Oxford and Jeremy Pruitt will be starting his sixth campaign for the Vols.
“The biggest thing in recruiting, it comes down to relationships and who you trust,” Stewart said. “You formulate it with bonds in terms of learning, and how guys coach and where programs are. In college football, things can change so fast.”
The entire interview with Stewart on the show “Tennessee Two-A-Days” can be listened to here or below.
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