Longhorns Target and Manning Mentor Cutcliffe Hired By SEC
The Texas Longhorns are leaving no stone unturned in the race for 2023's top quarterback recruit, Arch Manning.
But on Thursday, they will reportedly miss out on a major chess move in the pursuit of Arch Manning, with former Duke head coach and Manning family mentor David Cutcliffe accepting a job with the SEC.
The Longhorns were reported to be involved in discussions with Cutcliffe in regards to potentially joining the staff as a special assistant, much like former TCU head coach, Gary Patterson.
Cutcliffe, who is known as a quarterback-friendly offensive mind, was recently relieved of his duties in Durham after 14 seasons with the Blue Devils.
Before his time at Duke, however, Cutcliffe was the head coach at Ole Miss from 1998 to 2004, where he was a major factor in the Rebels landing two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning.
Cutcliffe, who was the quarterbacks' coach for Tennessee from 1990 to 1998, was also a major reason for Super Bowl champion and former NFL MVP Peyton Manning's shocking signing with the Tennessee Volunteers in 1994.
He had been an assistant with the Volunteers since 1982, taking over as the team's offensive coordinator in 1993.
Due to his name and family association, Manning was widely expected to follow his father Archie's footsteps, and choose Ole Miss. However, Cutcliffe change all of that, with Manning choosing a rival over the favored Rebels.
Cutcliffe also recruited Arch Manning's father, Cooper to Ole Miss, though his career was cut short due to spinal stenosis.
Under Cutcliffe, both Peyton and Eli became Heisman finalists and won SEC division titles, the Volunteers playing for a national title with Peyton as the starting quarterback.
Both quarterbacks would also go on the be the No. 1 overall selections in their respective NFL drafts.
Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images
Despite the loss of Cutcliffe, Texas is still one of the top contenders for Manning at the moment, alongside Alabama, Ole Miss, Georgia, LSU and Florida. Clemson was eliminated earlier this year.
With Texas, in particular, Manning also still has a budding relationship with both Steve Sarkisian, and quarterbacks coach AJ Milwee, the latter of which has spent extensive time in New Orleans visiting Manning since the being hired to the staff.
Manning is also seeking, among other things in his recruitment, a pathway to being successful like his grandfather and his uncles at the next level. Cutcliffe is known as one of, if not the top quarterback groomers in college football.
But now Texas will have to find another avenue to make that happen.
The Longhorns quest for Manning will continue this weekend, when he makes his third visit to Austin alongside other top recruits such as Rueben Owens and Johntay Cook.
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