WATCH: Lane Kiffin makes latest Arch Manning recruiting pitch
“Arch Mania” has truly swept the nation for much of the 2021 college football season for the nation’s top overall football recruit for the class of 2023, Arch Manning.
Today, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin got in on the action, holding up a “We Want Arch” sign.
Check it out below.
The Rebels have stopped at nothing to make sure Manning knows how much he is coveted in Oxford, Mississippi.
Check out the way Ole Miss painted their end zones on “Eli Manning Day”, with the name, Manning in both end zones.
Manning has offers from nearly every school in America, but the six teams that are strongly in the mix for his services include: Ole Miss, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Texas, and Alabama.
On3’s Keegan Pope recently did an excellent breakdown on the suitors for Manning recently. Check that out below.
Arch Manning impressed by visit to Ole Miss
Manning took trips to Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Ole Miss, and most recently, Clemson. All of the schools are vying for the services of the best junior in the country, and each has a different pitch.
His head coach at Isidore Newman, Nelson Stewart, told 247Sports that Manning came away impressed with his trip to Ole Miss on Oct. 23.
“He just said he really enjoyed before the game on the field talking to (Jeff) Lebby and Kiffin and the environment was great. A great college town. He said it was probably the best conversation he had, and they were able to relate and talk, and it was an authentic good conversation. And he really enjoyed talking to them.”
Texas is in the lead right now
Although he hasn’t given much away publicly about his recruitment, Manning has been very impressed by Texas and head coach Steve Sarkisian. The two have developed a great relationship, Manning told InsideTexas. It started during Sarkisian’s tenure as the offensive coordinator at Alabama and has only grown since then.
“(Sark) is a laid back guy, which I really like,” Manning said. “He’s not always pitching me. He just checks in and that’s one thing I like about him. When it is football, he’s a genius.”
And according to On3’s expert predictions, Texas is likely the team to beat. There is more than a year still to go until Manning could officially sign, and his recruitment is only going to heat up from here. His visits this fall will go a long way in shaping his final decision though, he told InsideTexas’ Justin Wells.
And while Texas has made lots of in-roads, both Georgia and Alabama look to be teams that can’t be counted out just yet. Manning played in front of Georgia head coach Kirby Smart last week and Steve Sarkisian the week before that. Head coach Nick Saban has pitched Manning on being part of college football’s most dominant program and playing alongside elite talent. Whether he and offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien can convince the latest Manning prodigy to come to Tuscaloosa remains to be seen, but the Crimson Tide will not go lightly.
On3’s Keegan Pope also contributed to this report.