JD PicKell: Where Arch Manning’s grade compares to others with famous last names

Peyton and Eli Manning‘s nephew Arch Manning is the On3 Consensus No. 1 player in the country in the 2023 recruiting class. Across the board, recruiting experts and scouts agree that the NFL legacy quarterback is a five-star prospect. However, lately, some analysts in the national media have called into question whether the Louisiana-based QB is a five-star because of his talent, or because of his last name.

On3’s JD PicKell broke down that debate on The Hard Count this week by comparing Arch Manning’s grade to other prospects’ with NFL pedigree.

“I asked (On3 Scouting Director) Charles Power, I said, ‘Talk to me about Arch Manning.’ I asked the exact question, ‘How much of his last name boosting him?’ He had a couple of key points. He said, one, last name obviously looks good, but when it comes to what you watch on tape and up close with Arch Manning, he’s got the quickest release of a high school prospect that I’ve ever seen. And Charles Power has seen a lot of high school prospects.

“He also said he’s the most physically developed of the group and he’s very polished. Doesn’t sound like a three-star quarterback to me. The other thing, they’re not just handing out five stars. They’re not just giving out five stars like they’re candy on Halloween. Five-star grades are incredibly difficult to come by. And every single recruiting service that I’ve seen has Arch Manning as a five-star, so that either means all these services are in cahoots, or Arch Manning is really that guy.”

PicKell went on to compare the Texas commit to Marcus Jordan, Michael Jordan’s son who was a three-star prospect, and Bronny James, LeBron James’ son, a four-star prospect. He also noted that the top coaches in the game wanted Manning, such as Nick Saban, Kirby Smart and Steve Sarkisian.

Arch Manning effect at Texas could last beyond 2023

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian won one of the biggest quarterback recruitments in recent years when he secured the commitment of Arch Manning. On3 national recruiting analyst Gerry Hamilton believes the get for Sarkisian will have a lasting impact on Texas’ recruiting efforts for the next several years.

“They’re hot and I think it’s a huge positive effect,” Hamilton told On3’s J.D. PicKell in this week’s Three Questions. “I think it affects more than just 2023 but beyond to 2024, 2025. I remember when Chris Simms flipped from Tennessee to Texas in 1999, in that class, that kind of kick-started Mack Brown, and then Cory Redding committed. That was the USA Today Parade All-American offensive and defensive players of the year. Chris Simms gave Texas a resurgence nationally. That was needed right now for Steve Sarkisian.”

“Arch Manning does that immediately. Johntay Cook, big-time receiver out of DeSoto, Arch has reached out to a number of guys. Heck, Cooper Manning’s reached out to a couple fathers of prospects. I think it’s real and it’s going to carry over past the 2023 class. If you can become a cool school in recruiting, it really resonates with kids. That was Texas in the early 2000s. Whether it was Chris Simms, Roy Williams, Cedric Benson, Vince Young, Kevin Durant, it carries over to football. They lost that cool school feel for about a decade, Arch helps them get that back.”

The Longhorns have added 10 new commitments since Manning’s pledge on June 23, including six four-star prospects.