Arch Manning visited Virginia on Friday. It was all over the Internet, and also, a writer friend of mine confirmed it with a highly placed source, and I know who this highly placed source is, and this highly placed source would know.
So.
Manning is the #1 QB recruit in the Class of 2023. My colleague, Scott German, texted me from Florida today upon hearing the news to say, OK, yeah, sure, but this was just a courtesy visit, right?
Not necessarily.
Manning’s mother, Ellen, is a UVA alum, and his sister, May, is a current Virginia student.
Also, his aunt, Ashley, the wife of Peyton Manning, is a UVA grad.
But that’s not why I’m saying not necessarily.
The new Virginia coach, Tony Elliott, was recruiting Manning when Elliott was at Clemson, so there is a connection there.
And then, if you’re Manning, you look at Elliott’s credentials, him being the offensive coordinator who designed the scheme and called the plays for Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence, two top first-round NFL Draft picks, you might say, I can get better under that guy.
Scott’s response, when I relayed this to him by text: yeah, but Elliott had a roster full of four- and five-star recruits around Watson and Lawrence.
Sure, I got back to him. And if Arch Manning were to commit to Virginia, a roster full of four- and five-stars would quickly sign on with him.
Talents want to play with other talents.
If UVA were to land the #1 QB recruit, Elliott and his staff would suddenly be in the running for top wideouts, tight ends, running backs, O linemen and guys on the other side of the ball.
Not saying here that Virginia is getting Arch Manning, but it’s not as far-fetched as you might be thinking.
Story by Chris Graham
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