Steve Sarkisian explains the role Arch Manning's family played in recruiting process

No name in football carries more weight right now than Manning. For that reason alone, all eyes are on where Arch Manning would end up — at least from the outside. Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ole Miss, and Texas were in the running at one point or the other.

Of course, the Longhorns won out, with Manning opting to play for head coach Steve Sarkisian. The duo is in the midst of spring practice in Austin, where the quarterback is currently learning the ropes as a true freshman.

From the inside of the recruitment, Sarkisian says there was no extra pressure put on Manning due to him having the last name he does. The likes of Peyton Manning and Eli Manning, two of the most polarizing figures in the sport, could have gotten involved. Instead, everything was done close to the vest and within their family of five.

“I tell his mom and dad all the time they did an unbelievable job raising him and in the process,” Sarkisian said during an interview with the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast. “I never talked to Peyton. I never talked to Eli. I talked to (Cooper) (father), I talked to Ellen (mother), I talked to Arch, I talked to Hyde (brother), I talked to the sister. It was about the family, truly the family. It wasn’t about the Manning brand.

“It was about Arch Manning and is this the best fit for him to go to school. Football-wise, academically, socially, the city of Austin. I think that’s why they got to a spot to where they could make a clear-minded decision of what was best for him.”

Manning played high school football at New Orleans (LA) Isidore Newman, where he was a Five-Star Plus+ prospect. He was the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Even if he had another last name, there was going to be a ton of coverage around the recruitment due to his high ranking. The Mannings found a way to make Arch’s journey as normal as possible. And when a commitment was ultimately made, the high school senior was the one making a final decision.

“It wasn’t this enormous media circus,” Sarkisian said. “They kept that thing pretty tight but they went about it in a really positive way. They took unofficial visits, they took official visits. They created relationships with coaches at the varying schools and they’re all great schools. Ultimately, they felt like this is the best place for him. I think it came down to what he wanted and then the family supported him.”

When Manning made the announcement to commit to Texas, his tweet was a simple one. A quick photo and “Committed to the University of Texas” as the caption was easy enough to send out. To this day, it’s his only activity on the app, not liking anything or following anyone.

In what could have been a recruitment for the ages, Manning and his family decided the whirlwind was not going to be for them. The process ended in June 2022 and even still, we hear little from their perspective. As it can be with the Mannings at times, everything about the recruitment was strictly business.