Arch Manning commits to Texas: Why the No. 1 player chose the Longhorns
The decision of the 2023 college football recruiting cycle is official as No. 1 player Arch Manning announced he committed to the Texas Longhorns.
Texas beat out finalists Alabama and defending national champion Georgia for the right to sign the quarterback. Why did Manning choose the Horns?
Coaching at Texas sealed the deal
“I really think the main factor in this decision, I have to give him credit, is Steve Sarkisian,” college football analyst Pete Thamel said on ESPN.
Sarkisian boasts offensive coordinator credits at USC, during a stint in the NFL, and coached Alabama's offense to a national championship in 2020.
“Steve Sarkisian is one of the top quarterback coaches, and top play-callers in all of football," Thamel said.
RELATED: No. 1 college football recruit Arch Manning chooses Texas
"He’s been an NFL offensive coordinator with the Falcons. He was an NFL quarterbacks coach with the Raiders. Obviously, we saw the assembly line of high-end quarterbacks under his tutelage at Alabama, Tua Tagovailoa to Mac Jones.
“I really feel like the NFL preparation available for Arch Manning in Austin ended up being the difference maker for Texas.”
No. 1 college football recruit Arch Manning is headed to Texas
So, is Texas... back?
It's been a while since the Longhorns have been to the top of the college football mountain.
Not since 2006, when Texas beat USC in a famous Rose Bowl capped off by quarterback Vince Young's legendary game-winning touchdown run.
But the program has won 10 games just once in the last decade and made only four appearances in the AP Top 25 rankings.
“Texas went 5-7 last year. They lost to Kansas at home, they got blown out at Arkansas, which was a barometer for how far their program needed to go to get to the middle of the pack in the SEC," Thamel said.
"What Arch Manning does: he could be their starting quarterback in 2025 when Texas enters the SEC. But most important, he’s a center-piece, he’s a face of the program, and he’s a recruiting magnet.
"People at Texas I’ve talked to today feel like there could be a flurry of commitments to follow Arch Manning, skill players who want to play with him."
“So, I really feel like for Texas’ program, this is a generationally big day, because it really sets them up with the most important building block they could possibly bring in, to get them ready for three years from now, when they do enter the SEC.”
Steve Sarkisian lands his biggest get at Texas by far
Arch Manning stats
As a junior at Isidore Newman in New Orleans, Manning threw for 1,947 yards and 26 touchdowns to four interceptions with another seven rushing scores.
In his high school career, he’s thrown for 6,307 yards as a starter in three seasons with 81 touchdowns passing and 19 rushing.
He averages almost 13 yards per pass, over 212 passing yards per game, and has 18 career interceptions.
Manning is the consensus No. 1 quarterback and overall player in the 2023 college football recruiting class, according to all services.
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