5-star QB Arch Manning: "There is a lot to like about Georgia"

Throughout much of his recruitment, Five-Star Plus+ quarterback Arch Manning had his eyes on five schools: Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ole Miss and Texas.

But now, a three-team race is shaping up between the Crimson Tide, Longhorns and Bulldogs to land the country’s No. 1 overall prospect, something that hasn’t been done by any of the three since 2019.

The two major threats, according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) are Georgia and Texas, with Alabama trailing behind in a distant third. On3’s Sam Spiegelman reported last week that Alabama is “still considered a threat,” but the other two programs have made very strong cases.

Georgia, especially, despite not being an offensive juggernaut in recent years, has caught Manning’s attention in a big way.

“I think Georgia has a really good staff,” Arch Manning told DawgNation. “They are just coming off a national championship. There are a lot of good players. Especially on defense. You saw last year they were surrounded by talent. 15 NFL Draft picks. There is a lot to like about Georgia. … I’m looking forward to another visit. To kind of get a final go-around with them.”

Arch Manning has taken a liking to the city of Athens

The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Manning has been to Athens three times over the course of the last year and has developed a fondness for the city and the UGA campus, according to previous reporting from On3.

His family had strong ties to former offensive line coach Matt Luke, who stepped down in February to spend more time with his own kids. But Arch’s father, Cooper, has also built a strong relationship with head coach Kirby Smart.

“I had a history as well with Kirby,” Cooper Manning said. “I had a lot of friends go to the University of Georgia. It is a great school. You can kind of start to see them now have some real success. I went to Athens multiple times when I was in college. It is a great institution. I have a lot of friends that went there and still live in Athens. They are big Georgia fans and it is an easy place to like.”

Arch has echoed those thoughts in previous interviews as well.

“I think you want to be surrounded by good people and somewhere you want to be for four years,” Manning previously told On3. “I think it’s not all about football, but I guess that’s a big piece. You just want to be somewhere that feels like home.”

The Bulldogs, like Texas, are looking to get Manning on campus again for an official visit — potentially as early as this summer. Other schools like Florida and LSU are still working to get involved in his recruitment, but Manning is trying hard to narrow things down.

“I’m trying to get there,” Manning told Spiegelman of making his decision. “I want to get through this spring with this new offense and new coaches (at Newman), so after spring I’m gonna see about the official visits.”