Eli Manning Reacts to Nephew Arch’s Texas Commitment

On Thursday, Arch Manning closed the book on the biggest question of the 2023 recruiting cycle, announcing his commitment to Texas.

Manning is the biggest name recruit in years, for obvious reasons as the nephew of Eli and Peyton Manning and the grandson of Archie Manning—three college football and NFL greats.

Rather than opt to follow Archie, Eli or his father, Cooper, to Ole Miss or Peyton to Tennessee, Arch is carving his own path, choosing the Longhorns over other contenders Alabama and Georgia. Even so, Eli says he and his brother are excited to head to Austin to see his nephew play, per 247Sports’ Chris Hummer.

The Manning family was together on Wednesday night, before Arch’s major Thursday announcement.

With his commitment behind him, Manning turns his focus to his senior year at Isidore Newman. His decision will likely have a significant impact on Steve Sarkisian and Texas, who will look to build around Manning as the centerpiece of the 2023 class.

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SI‘s John Garcia Jr. wrote about that impact on Thursday, after Manning’s decision:

“The class of 2023 at Texas is sure to begin growing with blue chip talent, as many have already admitted the intrigue and coverage around Manning’s decision could be a factor in their own. Precedent tells us the most likely positions where one would expect UT to uptick are the offensive skill spots, wide receiver and running back, and up front as offensive line recruits will want to sign up to protect him.”

Manning is Texas’s first five-star commit of the cycle, per 247Sports, which ranks the Longhorns class at No. 19 in the country with eight players committed so far.

• Longhorns Country: Arch Manning Commitment Sets New Standard at Texas 

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