ATHENS — One of the more closely followed recruiting battles of the modern era has ended. Quarterback Arch Manning, the No. 1-ranked recruit in the country, announced via social media Thursday that he committed to the Texas Longhorns.
Manning’s commitment followed an official visit to Austin this past weekend. The quarterback with the famous last name made no other comments in his post beyond “committed to the University of Texas” and #HookEm.
Manning made several trips to UGA – including an official visit earlier this month – and reportedly had a strong affinity for the Bulldogs. But whatever coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns were able to show the 6-foot-4 quarterback from New Orleans convinced him that they offered a better opportunity than either Georgia or Alabama, his other finalists.
Manning will play his senior season at Isadore Newman High in New Orleans this fall. He is expected to sign with the Longhorns in the December signing period and enroll in January.
Manning certainly faces less internal competition at Texas than he would at Georgia. The Bulldogs currently have a crowded quarterback group. In addition to sixth-year senior and starter Stetson Bennett, the Bulldogs feature junior Carson Beck, redshirt freshman Brock Vandagriff and freshman Gunner Stockton at the position. In addition, there are four invited walk-ons.
Manning’s father is Cooper Manning, who played receiver at Ole Miss. His uncles are Peyton Manning, one of the NFL’s all-time great quarterbacks, and Eli Manning, who played quarterback at Ole Miss before becoming the No. 1 NFL draft pick. Both led their respective teams to Super Bowl titles. Arch is named after his grandfather, Archie Manning, who played at Ole Miss and is considered one of the great quarterbacks in SEC history.
With Manning off the board, the Bulldogs will turn their attention to other quarterback prospects. Georgia coach Kirby Smart has said before that he intends to sign a quarterback in every class.
While UGA missed this time, it has signed high-profile, top-ranked quarterbacks before. Matthew Stafford was the No. 1-ranked QB when he committed to the Bulldogs in 2006, and Jacob Eason was considered No. 1 by many recruiting sites when he signed with UGA in 2016.
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