Breaking down Arch Manning's senior season debut

BOUTTE, La. – On3 was on hand to take in Arch Manning‘s senior season debut on Friday. The Five-Star Plus+ Texas quarterback pledge led his New Orleans Isidore Newman team to a 35-14 win over Boutte (La.) Hahnville.

While we’ve closely evaluated Manning for the better part of three years, this was my first opportunity to see him compete in a football setting in person in 15 months. Let’s take dive in to how Manning looked in his first game.

How Arch Manning played in his senior season opener

It wasn’t a pass-heavy night for Arch Manning and the Newman offense. The game plan was to soften up the Hahnville front with early down runs and then take some shots off of play action. Manning completed 8-of-14 passes for 142 yards and three touchdowns and picked up 37 yards on six carries.

The first two offensive drives started within Hahnville’s 20-yard line. Manning made a nice improvisational play, rolling to his left and throwing across his body for a touchdown that was ultimately called back due to a penalty. The first touchdown came on the next shortened field drive, with Manning finding his running back leaking down the sideline for an easy score.

The remaining drives in the first half were tougher sledding. Manning was low on a pass, couldn’t find any receivers open and ran for a small gain that was short on third down. Newman got behind the chains on another drive due to a block in the back penalty. Manning scrambled on third and long, but was brought down short of the line to gain. Newman got the ball back on their 16-yard line with around a minute remaining in the first half, but elected to run out the clock.

Manning looked to settle in and played better in the second half. Newman started off each drive with several consecutive runs. The best throw of the night came on the first drive, when he hit fellow Texas commit Will Randle on a corner route. Manning dropped the ball in a small window between defensive backs, while falling away with two defenders in his face.

Five-Star Plus+ QB Arch Manning drops it in to fellow Texas commit Will Randle for a long gain https://t.co/2Tih9TLULp @InsideTexas pic.twitter.com/XgoO7kvqTc

— Charles Power (@CharlesPower) September 3, 2022

After a rushing touchdown, Manning went back to Randle for the two-point conversion, finding the tight end wide open on a rollout off of play action.

Manning’s second touchdown came two drives later. After showing some movement skills and toughness on a designed run, the Texas commit hit a wide open receiver off of a flea flicker for a walk-in touchdown. Manning’s third and final touchdown of the night came early in the 4th quarter on another corner route.

We also saw Manning line up at free safety, playing center field on third-and-18. The ball didn’t come his way, as Hahnville elected to run.

Physical and skill set takeaways

Arch Manning appears to be physically similar to how he looked around a year ago. As we’ve detailed in the past, he’s bigger than most expect – checking in at around 6-foot-4 and a well-proportioned 215 pounds. Having seen most, if not all of the top 2023 quarterbacks over the past few months, Manning has a case as the most physically-developed of the group. He has a prototypical frame and is filled out, particularly through the lower body.

While it wasn’t a high usage evening through the air, we were able to see glimpses of the passing skill set that has made Manning a highly-regarded prospect. The release still stands out and is one of the quickest we’ve seen over the past few cycles. The beautiful pass to Randle showed his ability place the football into tight windows while throwing downfield.

The ball handling working off of play action concepts is advanced. Manning carries out his fakes with fine detail and has a good feel for quickly finding his targets (many who were wide open) off of those looks. He should be comfortable operating within the offensive structure at the next level.

We’ve covered Manning’s mobility and physicality as a runner over the years and continued to see those skills on display. Hahnville is a 5A program and Manning was still able to run through and over some defenders despite the higher-than-normal talent level on that side of the ball.

With that said, it was not a spotless performance. Manning missed some throws low. He also dropped his eyes in the face of the pass rush on a few instances.

The in-game evaluation also allows for the opportunity to see how prospects interact with their teammates and coaches. Manning was not overly loud, but was engaged with his teammates. He had repeated positive interactions with varying members of the program through all phases of the game.

Moving forward

Arch Manning‘s evaluation is unique in that the vast majority of his on-field sample size is confined within the structure of his high school program. This places an added emphasis on his senior season and called for an updated in-person evaluation. As detailed above, we view his physical, passing and athletic skills to be translatable when projecting long-term. We’ll be watching Manning and his fellow highly-touted 2023 quarterbacks closely throughout the fall.