Arch Manning remains the No. 1 prospect in updated On300

On3 updated the 2023 On300 on Monday ahead of the high school football season, and New Orleans (La.) Isidore Newman quarterback Arch Manning remains the No. 1 overall prospect for the cycle. Manning, a Five-Star Plus+ prospect, the son of Cooper Manning, the nephew of Eli and Peyton Manning, and the grandson of Archie Manning, committed to the Longhorns on June 23.

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Manning is one of five top 100 players committed to the Longhorns along with New Iberia (La.) Westgate defensive back Derek Williams, DeSoto (Texas) wide receiver Johntay Cook, Fort Worth (Texas) North Crowley linebacker S’Maje Burrell, Harker Heights (Texas) offensive lineman Jaydon Chatman, and Aldine (Texas) Eisenhower wide receiver Ryan Niblett.

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

The On3 NIL Valuation gives Manning a $3.4 million valuation, ranking No. 2 in On3’s NIL 100. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college-level athletes. A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a specific moment in time.

Inside Texas evaluation from the Recruiting Notebook

Strengths: Good height and frame for the position. May not be done growing. Shows good functional athleticism in game settings. Will prove surprisingly elusive and faster than expected when the play breaks down. Has good film from both under center and in shotgun. Takeaway and drop are smooth with sure cross-steps.  Ball carriage is mid-chest and eyes remain downfield. Reaches the top of his drop with a balanced athletic base and ready to push off to deliver the ball. Reads both sides of the field and influences the safeties routinely with head movement. Resets his feet frequently as needed. Delivers a consistent, mostly three-quarters delivery that is compact and quick. Finishes with a nice wrist snap and usually on balance with a good transfer of lower body power to upper body movement. 

Ball rotation is usually pretty high RPM and the nose doesn’t dive. Drives the ball really well to the short zones and up the seams. Has arm strength to reach all zones. Accuracy is exceptional and ball placement is very good most of the time. Has a good feel for the required throw, showing great touch on the bucket throw and good drive on the driven throw.  Throws every route in what appears to be a pretty diverse playbook. Feel for the pass rush is instinctive and he knows his escape routes well. 

His best film is on the run with some very difficult throws both to his throwing hand side and also back against his body.  Makes a great off-schedule throw with regularity and clearly understands the body mechanics required to get the ball down the field in those situations (e.g., re-squaring his shoulders). His TD passes jumped up markedly this season (34). Scored eight rushing TD as a sophomore. Last name sounds familiar, hmm.

Areas for Improvement / Concern: I’d like to see the ball out a little earlier, especially on comebacks/curls/hooks. The receiver doesn’t need to wait for it. I’m concerned about the level of talent he’s playing with and against.  He’s clearly the best player on his team and an 8-0 regular season is no fluke, but there are a lot of plays where he’s running for his life (kinda like Archie). Interceptions are at a rate of 1 every 35 pass attempts for the career. We don’t know the context of those interceptions.

Arch Manning Scouting Summary

“Possesses a pure throwing motion with one of the quickest releases we’ve seen from a high school quarterback prospect. Those mechanics pair with a strong arm to make Manning one of the more natural and accurate passers in the 2023 cycle. Has the ability to carve up opposing defenses from inside the pocket or outside of structure when things break down. Shows innate field vision for his age with the ability to find open receivers while making second-reaction plays. An above average athlete for the position with polished footwork and the capability of picking up yards in scramble situations. Has filled out a big frame over his high school career, entering his junior year as the most physically developed top quarterback in the 2023 cycle. Also carries a substantial mental load for a junior quarterback with the responsibility of setting protections.” — Charles Power, On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings