Report: Pete Golding utilized Steve Sarkisian's alcoholism in Arch Manning recruitment, called Nick Saban 'Daddy'

Arch Manning‘s much-publicized recruitment as the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2023 class was arguably college football’s most intense off-the-field battle in recent memory. It pitted three current SEC superpowers — Alabama, Georgia and Texas — against one another as each program eagerly sought to land the much-ballyhooed nephew of NFL Hall of Fame quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning.

And in the highly anticipated upcoming book from Seth Wickersham, “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback,” the ESPN writer details the extreme — and at times questionable — recruiting tactics used by the various coaches involved in the process. That allegedly included former Alabama defensive coordinator — now at Ole Miss — Pete Golding reportedly bringing up Texas coach Steve Sarkisian‘s past battle with alcoholism in an effort to appease “Daddy” — in this case, then-Alabama head coach Nick Saban.

In the section of his book that goes into in-depth detail about Arch Manning’s recruitment, Wickersham recalls how Golding — in what would end up being his final season in Tuscaloosa — allegedly brought up Sarkisian’s sobriety during a Zoom call with the young quarterback.

“I love Sark,” Golding reportedly told Manning, per Wickersham. “He’s my best friend … (pause) … I hope he can stay sober.”

After ending the Zoom, then-Isidore Newman head coach Nelson Stewart reportedly called Golding back to admonish the Alabama assistant: “Pete, that’s f—ed up!”

Golding sheepishly acknowledged his error, but defended going to such lengths because “Daddy’s on me,” meaning Saban was pressuring him to land Manning’s much-coveted commitment.

Read the full exchange in an excerpt below courtesy of KSR‘s Matt Jones:

Ok so this is a wild paragraph from @SethWickersham new book. The Alabama assistants called Nick Saban “Daddy” and mocked the Texas’s coach’s alcoholism

Like seriously…read it pic.twitter.com/fyNu3LEfMy

— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) August 22, 2025

As most college football fans know, Arch Manning ended up committing to — and eventually signing with — Sarkisian and Texas in June 2022 as a Five-Star Plus+ prospect and the top overall recruit in the 2023 class, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. And now, ahead of his third season in Austin, the latest Manning scion has been elevated to the Longhorns’ QB1 for preseason No. 1 Texas.

So far, Manning has certainly lived up to the hype, humbly navigating his first two seasons as a backup quarterback, all while balancing the fame that comes with being from football’s first family.

Steve Sarkisian calls out national perception of Arch Manning, Texas in 2025

Steve Sarkisian called out the national perception of Arch Manning and Texas going into the 2025 season, saying the Longhorns are keeping everything in-house. Essentially, they don’t listen to any noise that could be distracting to individual players or the team.

When it comes to Texas, the perception is that the team has to win it all or the season is a failure. The same goes for Manning at quarterback. Either he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread or he’s a bust.

“What I know is what I see every day, and he seems good to me,” Sarkisian said. “You know, we visit a fair amount to make sure that what frame of mind is he in, where I think he performs the best. This is going to be a long season, and unfortunately, we live in a world of he’s the greatest ever, or is going to be a bust. And there’s not a lot of in between. And it’s kind of like where we are as a team. We’re either going to be national champs or we’re going to be a bust.

“Like, that’s the mentality outside of our building. We don’t really think that way. I don’t think Arch thinks that way. I think Arch thinks about, ‘what am I doing today to improve? What am I doing today to be the best teammate I can be when the game weeks roll around? What am I doing to prepare to put myself in the best position to perform?’ I just don’t think he’s that concerned.”

— On3’s Nick Kosko contributed to this report.