After bringing in the No. 5 recruiting class in the country for the 2022 cycle, Steve Sarkisian and his staff are still looking to gain some momentum for the 2023 class.
What better way to do that than to bring in the unanimous No. 1 player in the 2023 class? Five-star quarterback Arch Manning has kept his recruitment fairly private up to this point, but Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports recently confirmed that there are six programs in contention to land the talented signal caller.
Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, LSU and Ole Miss have seemingly built the strongest relationships with Manning. Fortunately for the Longhorns, Manning is expected to visit Austin the weekend of March 24. It will allow him the opportunity to get a first-hand look at Texas’ spring practice.
Of the six schools in contention, Texas has maintained one of the strongest relationships with the Manning family. While the underwhelming 5-7 record last season may have bumped them a step back, the success on the recruiting trail — primarily along the offensive line — has helped Texas’ case.
On3’s Eric Nahlin entered a prediction on Tuesday in favor of Texas to land Manning with a confidence level of 70%. Keep in mind that this is purely a prediction and nothing more, but it goes to show that the Longhorns are certainly viewed as a leader in his recruitment.
The recruiting prediction machine provided by On3 has Alabama and Texas with the highest percentage chances of landing the nation’s top prospect.
Playing for a quarterback guru in Sarkisian is a major factor in Manning’s recruitment. The New Orleans native wants a coach who can prepare him for the next level and Sark has a proven track record. On top of that, Sarkisian is in talks to hire former Duke head coach David Cutcliffe as an analyst. Cutcliffe has a strong relationship with the Manning family as the former coach of both Peyton and Eli.
If Texas is able to pull this off, it would be a monumental recruiting win for the program. Many of the nation’s top prospects for the 2023 class have already expressed an interest in playing with Manning.
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