Arch Manning talks Texas, Friday night lights

MANY, La. — New Orleans (La.) Isidore Newman Five-Star Plus quarterback Arch Manning tossed a pair of touchdowns and had his team in the mix on the game’s final drive in a 25-17 road loss on Friday night in Many’s Tiger Stadium.

The New Orleans native and his Newman teammates made the trek from South Louisiana early on Friday and had their hands full with a Many (La.) defense littered with front-seven stars, including USC pledge Tackett Curtis and top-50 junior linebacker Tylen Singleton.

“They’ve got a bunch of good players. They’re well-coached,” Manning said postgame. “I think we came out flat after a five-hour bus ride. We got it together a little bit, but not enough to get it done tonight.”

Manning was without his top pass-catcher, fellow Texas commit Will Randle, who was injured in last week’s thrilling comeback victory at home. Randle will undergo surgery on his torn ACL in October.

The nation’s top player has been tuning into the Longhorns through the first month of the season and been impressed by what Steve Sarkisian is ordering up on offense — in spite of a rash of injuries under center.

“They look good,” Manning said. “Obviously not the starting quarterback in right now, but Sark is dialing up some good plays and it’s fun to watch.”

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Manning is the No. 1 overall prospect and No. 1 quarterback in the 2023 On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.