QB Arch Manning Excited to Check Out LSU-Ole Miss, Talks Following in Uncles' Footsteps
Arch Manning is expecting a lot of offense when LSU visits Ole Miss Saturday afternoon. The Newman quarterback and highly touted college prospect will be in attendance to watch the Tigers and Rebels square off.
Manning, who has been tight lipped about where things stand with his recruitment, has really taken the last handful of months to build relationships with programs and visit campuses. Now that the fall has come around, he's enjoyed seeing different environments up close and at max capacity.
"This is the only time you get to go see games you've never been too so right now I'm just going to games to see what it's like," Manning said. "I don't love being out of town every weekend, not being with my boys but it's been fun to go see some places and build connections.
"I know Oxford real well, we have a house there so it's kind of like a second home. I'm excited to get back and watch a good game. Should be a lot of scoring tomorrow."
Manning is coming off a tough Friday night loss to Berkeley Prep out of Florida, a game where he showed off his legs and scrambling ability to evade multiple pass rushers, including this designed quarterback keeper he took for 70 yards.
The now junior quarterback has seen tremendous growth in his game from the time he broke on to the national scene two years ago to now. He and his brother, who is also Arch's center at Newman, spent most of the offseason working out together and continuing to build his body.
Then of course there's the tremendous footsteps that Manning is following in not only his father but two uncles Peyton and Eli. While Arch is carving his own legacy at Newman, hoping to become the first Manning to win a state championship with the Greenies, there are still a lot of the same people around, giving Manning even more of that home vibe.
"It's awesome having a dad and two uncles who played here and a lot of the same people," Manning said. "It's cool to be at home, Newman's a great place and I'm just glad where I'm at."
There is no real timeline for a decision for Manning, who said that he currently has "no idea" where he'll wind up going to college but thinks a decision will become clear during the spring or summer of 2022. In the meantime, he's enjoying getting to meet and form relationships with some of the top coaches in the country.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart was in attendance Friday night and Manning has also developed close bonds with Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, Nick Saban at Alabama and LSU offensive coordinator Jake Peetz.
"It's been really cool for them to come out, I've built relationships with all of those guys and it's cool to see them here," Manning said.
