Ole Miss Legend Archie Manning Discusses Grandson Arch's College Recruitment
When Archie Manning talks, Ole Miss fans listen. They listen even more when his grandson Arch is mentioned.
The patriarch of the Manning family recently spoke at an event in Birmingham where he discussed his grandson's recruitment and what he should look for in a college destination.
"We’re proud of Arch,'' the eldest Manning said. "It really doesn’t mean anything to me for him to be the No. 1 recruit in the nation. I think that puts a lot of added pressure. The recruiting world has changed, and college football has changed a lot.
"But we’re proud of Arch.''
Archie Manning spent his college career in Oxford before heading to the NFL, and his youngest son Eli (uncle of Arch) did the same. Arch's father, Cooper, also attended Ole Miss, but the middle son Peyton chose to begin his career at Tennessee.
Despite all of these family ties across the SEC, the head of the family tries not to get too involved in the recruiting process, instead letting his grandson make his own decision.
"The best thing for me, as grandpa, is I stay out of it,'' Manning said. "I have a really good grandfather-grandson relationship. His dad, Cooper, has done a good job during this crazy recruiting. It’s really changed. I’m proud of what they’ve done.''
All of the Manning sons were at one time high-profile recruits, but Archie has seen that recruiting landscape change over his lifetime--from his humble beginnings in Drew, Mississippi, to the time his sons went through the process.
"When Peyton, Eli and Cooper went through it, it really didn’t turn up until the spring before their senior year,'' Manning said. "They might have been getting letters, but with Arch, it started in the seventh grade. I’m not that fond of that, but that’s just the way it is.''
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Arch Manning (Derick E. Hingle via. the MMQB)
Whenever Arch Manning makes his collegiate decision, his grandfather wants to make sure that he takes the entire college experience into account before pulling the trigger.
"I know Arch,'' Manning said. "He wants to go where he’s going to be happy as a student, too. I always told my kids that: 'Pick a place where if football doesn’t work out, where are you going to be happy going to school?'
"I think every young person deserves to have a good college experience.''
