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Texas Recruiting Notes 2023: Strippers, Monkeys, and 5-Stars


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18 minutes ago, Tex Pete said:

We have what we have right now.

You don't hear Iowa State or Kansas State bitch about talent, and they are truly at a deficit to the OUs of the world. They often line up and whip their opponent because that's what they are determined to do.

Iowa State and Kansas State have a system that has been in place for years, and they recruit and develop players to play within their system. We have a new staff trying to take a bunch of players that were recruited to play Herman's O and whatever the fuck Orlando was trying to do on D, and they are a very poor fit for what our new staff wants to do. For example, PKs scheme is all about funneling tackles to the LBs and safeties. Well guess which position groups are our worst on D? Is that PKs fault or the previous staff that largely ignored LB recruiting and did a terrible job developing our highly rated safeties?

In the 4th quarter against OSU there were plays there to be made and the PLAYERS didn't make them. OSU loaded up against our outside zone and we dialed up plays to counter that, but the players didn't execute. There were multiple crucial downs where we had receivers wide open for a first, and CT couldn't find them.  Sark can't make the reads and throws for CT. Flood can't tell the OL who they are supposed to be blocking on every play.

The staff has made many mistakes but they are new and working with players they are still feeling out. I'm definitely not happy with the results so far, the team has looked worse than I expected especially on D, but sometimes this happens with a new staff implementing new schemes - players look slow and hesitant. If this shit doesn't improve drastically next season then we have a big problem.

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2 minutes ago, Michael Knight said:

Casey Thompson lost that game for us. He didn't get much help but he lost that game.

Look I think Casey played a shitty game and he deserves to be benched because of it, otherwise there is no accountability in the QB room, BUT he is not THE reason we lost. He is one of many reasons why we lost including offensive line, pass rush, play calling, def adjustments, S&C program, etc, etc, etc

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People keep equating “talent” to recruiting (ie ability coming out of hs). On that front, yeah only OU matched us.
But what really matters is recruiting talent AND developing it. Herman’s staff failed badly at the second part. Elite high school talent is worthless if they don’t get better. It’s why true freshman almost never do shit anywhere. 
So idk but it’s very possible that the individual players at Ark or OSU are truly better than ours. They’ve been developed. Ex: Foster was a 5 star “talent” but does anyone think he’s better than Jalen Catalon? Nope. 
Oh and development takes years. This staff has shown plenty of issues but it’s too soon to pin lack of development on them. That’s Herman. 

Kinda where I’m at. Are you really telling me every 5 star we sign (besides bijan) is a bust or nowhere near where we’d thought they’d be? I know the Mack brown curse is real so maybe. For example Caden sterns. I swear if he went to LSU he probably would’ve won the thorp. Just our luck I guess. Also boils down to coaching.

Does Texas have talent, yes. Does Texas have the talent they should have,no. Besides maybe Arkansas, talent didn’t cost us the OU and OSU game. Would’ve helped for sure but Texas could’ve easily won those games with the talent on the team. Not blaming PK (or maybe I am) but like what the fuck. He was great at Washington and then comes here. Everyone keeps pointing to talent. Yes we need better players and for his system but to be damn near last or maybe we are last now in defense is ridiculous. And then they finally play okay against OSU and the offense cost us the game.

End of the day it’s coaching. Yes we need better talent but the big xii sucks. We should be able to get by with what we have but we can’t.
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23 minutes ago, elguapo said:

For example, PKs scheme is all about funneling tackles to the LBs and safeties. Well guess which position groups are our worst on D? Is that PKs fault or the previous staff that largely ignored LB recruiting and did a terrible job developing our highly rated safeties?

Well, if he’s the guy he was supposed to be, he’ll stop funneling tackles to the weak points on our D and adjust.  Other coaches make adjustments against us within a half.  He’s had months to come up with an actionable plan that takes our weaknesses (admittedly of which there are many) and finds a way to work around them.  It is, after all, his job.

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1 minute ago, Darth Tron said:

Well, if he’s the guy he was supposed to be, he’ll stop funneling tackles to the weak points on our D and adjust.  Other coaches make adjustments against us within a half.  He’s had months to come up with an actionable plan that takes our weaknesses (admittedly of which there are many) and find a way to work around them.  It is, after all, his job.

Yeah I don't disagree with that, which is why I also wrote in my post that I'm definitely not happy with the results so far. The best coordinators figure out what the talent they have does best, and then adjust their schemes to put that talent in position to succeed. PK has done a very poor job no doubt.

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25 minutes ago, Longhorn94 said:

Look I think Casey played a shitty game

Casey pass attempts in 2nd half:

  • 19 yards to Worthy
  • incomplete to Worthy
  • incomplete to RoJo
  • incomplete pass
  • incomplete to Moore
  • incomplete to Worthy
  • 0 yards to Worthy
  • INT

2/8 for 19 yards and 1 INT is shitty.

some of it is scheme. i think there was a drop in there, but i didn't remember him being THAT bad.

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Spoiler

Texas coaches set to hit the road to recruit during bye week

VIP ByMIKE ROACH 71 minutes ago
 
 
 

Picks for every big Week 7 college football game

 
 
wk7-10-12-thumb-00000.png
 
 

 

 

 

The bye week allows for the Texas coaches to get out on the road this week and see some recruits. While the staff has been good about getting around the state on home game weekends, time off allows for them to get out nationally as well. We spoke to a few sources over the last day or two to get a feel for some of the prospects the staff will be getting out to see.

 

 

Steve Sarkisian

 

Sarkisian will head out west. We’ve been told the primary mission is to see new QB offer and Draper (Utah) Corner Canyon passer Devin Brown. AJ Milwee will be along for the trip from what we are told as the duo scout what could be the second quarterback take in this 2022 class. Sark is also planning a California swing this fall, but we aren’t sure if it will be on this trip or not.

 
 

 

 

Kyle Flood

 

Flood will be in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex this weekend. His primary objective will be to see five-star Arlington Bowie offensive tackle Devon Campbell. Campbell remains high on the list for Texas as the Longhorns do battle with Oklahoma, USC and Alabama for his services. While in the area, Flood will also see some local 2023 prospects for evaluation. Neto Umeozulu could also be on the docket as Texas looks to close there.

 

 

Andre Coleman

 

Coleman will also be in D-FW this weekend. The Texas wide receivers coach will make his way to the northwest area of the metroplex to see wide receiver commit Armani Winfield and 2023 offer Ashton Cozart who just included Texas in his Top 6. Coleman could also be checking in on 2022 Rockwall-Heath wide receiver Jordan Nabors who Texas has been evaluating throughout the fall.

 

 

Jeff Choate

 

Choate is headed out west to Salt Lake City with one target in mind. The Texas linebackers coach will do some evaluating in Utah, but his mission is to get eyes on four-star linebacker target Lander Barton. While there, he will also be able to see massive offensive tackle Tyler Knaak who Texas has been evaluating for an offensive line offer. With a big need on the outside, it wouldn’t be a surprise to Knaak be officially added to the Texas board following the trip.

 

 

Terry Joseph

 

The New Orleans native is headed back to home base to check out products of The Pelican State. On Thursday, Joseph will see elite Ponchatoula (LA.) safety Jacoby Mathewswho is coming off a Texas visit. On Friday, he will be by to see Texas wide receiver target Shazz Preston of St. James (LA.). Saturday will take him back to NOLA to check in on Texas cornerback commit Ronald Lewis along with Warren Easton 2024 cornerback target Wallace Foster.

 

 

4COMMENTS

Blake Gideon

 

Gideon will work his area of east Texas. The Texas safeties coach will check in on several Texas targets throughout the trip and make the rounds to see if there are any underclassmen to add to the board moving forward

My apologies for derailing the thread guys. Recruiting news 

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13 minutes ago, elguapo said:

Yeah I don't disagree with that, which is why I also wrote in my post that I'm definitely not happy with the results so far. The best coordinators figure out what the talent they have does best, and then adjust their schemes to put that talent in position to succeed. PK has done a very poor job no doubt.

Yeah we’re in agreement.  Plenty of blame to go around.

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53 minutes ago, Michael Knight said:

Casey Thompson lost that game for us. He didn't get much help but he lost that game.

I think Whittington was Casey’s safety blanket and ever since he went down Casey really has struggled when he needs to improvise.   He’s also hurt and probably should have taken more time off after that big hit.  It was a total team loss but Casey is at the top of that blame list h the for sure.  

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1 hour ago, Longhorn94 said:

Look I think Casey played a shitty game and he deserves to be benched because of it, otherwise there is no accountability in the QB room, BUT he is not THE reason we lost. He is one of many reasons why we lost including offensive line, pass rush, play calling, def adjustments, S&C program, etc, etc, etc

Pretty much everyone is right to some degree.  Overall the talent and roster holes have hamstrung both sides of the ball because we have system coaches, asking them to not be what they are for their entire careers is folly.  Maybe blame the geniuses at the very top that fell for the "3 straight top 10 classes" fools gold that Herman left behind and then hired these guys.  As if we have NFL players in the rough lying around and just need a good playcaller to make it all hum.  Probably a waste of time.

The truth has always been rebuild to win and especially just to compete with the upcoming SEC move.  As for the OSU loss, the red zone pick six is FAR and away the biggest reason we lost, and having thrown 2 red zone pick sixes since April is kind of a major deal.  Institutional pressure to win at all costs in year one probably fueled a premature QB change and now we're pretty screwed.  The best incumbent quarterbacks in the league would get benched with a quickness by their coaches if they threw red zone pick sixes in a critical conference game, at home no less.  Will we?  Seems as though we are now ride or die with Thompson.  I see more 100% to 0% swings for the offense, and a defense that fulfills their individual and collective responsibilities in part and never in full.  

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6 hours ago, closetohumping said:

Great post.  But why didn’t we go after any OL in the portal?

   Now imagine you are Sark and spring rolls around and you have the 1's against the 1's. Starting D-line isn't getting to the QB? Hmm, O-line ain't half bad. Starting O-line is struggling running against this D-line? Hmm, strength of the team. The opposing unit on your own team is all you have to measure them against. O-line looked decent running OZ last year, and D-line looked good with Graham and Ossai. You don't know what you have until you face a unit better than the one you see in practice everyday, and then it's an o-shit moment. That's why I said I give Sark a pass for not addressing something he didn't know was a problem. He knows now. Lets see what he does.

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On 10/19/2021 at 10:54 PM, closetojumping said:

I took trig my junior year in HS. Had a funny old teacher from UT teaching the class. I remember numerous jokes by him and nothing about trig. Thank God. Probably the most boring class I ever took at any level. If there's a run on trig posts here, it might lead to a lemming-level mass suicide due to the absolute rock bottom level of ennui we'd have apparently struck.

This thread has enough tangents as it is.

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ESPN - Arch Manning and life as the nation's top quarterback recruit in a family of quarterback royalty
 

Spoiler


NEW ORLEANS -- When Texas coach Steve Sarkisian connected with one of the country's most famous high school football players on FaceTime one afternoon in July, he couldn't hear the prospect because of a pinging noise in the background.

"Are you at an arcade?" Sarkisian asked. "Where are you?"


"Coach, it's kind of embarrassing," the quarterback said. "I'm babysitting. I'm at an arcade, but they've got enough coins to keep them busy for the next 30 minutes."

That's right, Arch Manning, the No. 2 high school player in the Class of 2023 and part of the third generation of football's most famous family, babysits two days a week during the summer and occasionally on the weekend. He doesn't play video games and isn't active on social media.

"He has such a good level of humility," said Nelson Stewart, Manning's coach at Isidore Newman School. "He doesn't like attention and he doesn't draw attention to himself. He just likes hanging out with his friends."

As the son of Cooper, grandson of Archie, and nephew of Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks Eli and Peyton, it would be easy for Arch to have an ego the size of nearby Lake Pontchartrain. But in the era of name, image and likeness, TikTok and Twitter, he seems like an anomaly. Outside of five posts on his private Instagram, he mostly stays off social media.

"I check it for other stuff, but I'm not really on there much," Arch said. "I don't really feel like dealing with all of that."


At least for now, Arch, 17, prefers to keep details of his day-to-day life and where he might be going to college private. The junior isn't expected to announce college football recruiting's most anticipated decision until at least next spring.

"It is a huge rarity, but it's also very refreshing," Stewart said. "I think now kids look at scholarship offers almost like a patch on a letter jacket. It's not about the offers, it's about announcing you're blessed and humbled and whatnot to draw attention to yourself. It's so refreshing to have a kid that's not that way."

Of course, when a quarterback has an arm like this and the last name Manning, the hype and promotion is going to find you, no matter how you try to keep it at bay. Two of his games, including Friday night's home contest (9 p.m. ET, ESPNU and ESPN App) against Berkeley Prep of Tampa, Fla., are being televised nationally.

After a 59-7 victory against Pearl River at home on Oct. 1, Arch took a few minutes to sign autographs. As far back as his freshman season, according to Stewart, the Isidore Newman football office received a handful of autograph requests in the mail each week. Stewart didn't allow Arch to do media interviews as a freshman and didn't let him know about the autograph requests until he was a sophomore.

"I think I am a regular guy on the team," Arch said. "I think Newman and New Orleans do a good job with that. I'm just a regular student and high school football player. I think outside of New Orleans, they try to hype it up, but I don't really think much about the whole Manning deal. I'm just trying to enjoy high school."


Arch's unofficial visits to campuses have even become events. Georgia might be undefeated with eyes on a national championship, but on Sept. 18 against South Carolina, thoughts were with a kid who couldn't suit up until 2023 as a group of fans painted "We Want Arch!" on their backs. When he went to Alabama two weeks later, Ole Miss fans outside Bryant-Denny Stadium urged him to choose the Rebels. Manning has also visited Clemson and Texas and will go to Ole Miss this weekend; the Rebels are retiring Eli's No. 10 jersey during ceremonies at a game against LSU.

"I'm still wide open. I'm just enjoying the process," Arch said. "It's cool to get to go visit some of the best schools in the country."

The low-key Manning is getting plenty of advice and direction from his grandfather, Archie, a star quarterback at Ole Miss and for the New Orleans Saints, and his father, Cooper, the oldest of Archie and Olivia Manning's three sons. Cooper was an all-state wide receiver at Isidore Newman School and was set to follow in his father's footsteps at Ole Miss. But he had to stop playing football when he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis in 1992.

"Arch is a sweet kid," Archie told ESPN. "He never gives anybody a problem. I'm proud of him. I've had three or four of the freshmen's daddies come up and tell me how Arch is nice to their sons. These are freshmen who aren't playing and are probably getting kicked around at practice a little bit. That makes me proud of him."

Cooper, Archie and Arch's famous uncles are reluctant to say much about him to the media, but they're still being asked. In July, at the Manning Passing Academy on the Nicholls State campus in Thibodaux, Louisiana, there were about 30 reporters present, from local and national outlets, for a question-and-answer session with Archie and his sons. Many of the reporters weren't there to ask about Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder, Notre Dame's Drew Pyne, Liberty's Malik Willis or Penn State's Sean Clifford, who were all at the camp.

As the Mannings were lined up against a wall, they were peppered with questions about Arch.

"Arch has a good approach," Archie said then. "I don't worry about Arch, but I don't want people to expect too much. He's getting attention; he's not asking for that. But I guess that comes with it. ... The only thing I ever tell Arch is, 'Have fun.'"

Peyton Manning, a five-time NFL MVP and Pro Football Hall of Famer, was asked about Arch flying to Denver to work out with him.

"I just don't.... he's getting plenty of attention, and I'm just not adding to it with QB analysis," Peyton said. "I do a little QB analysis with ESPN and I gotta keep that to the NFL. I don't do that with high school quarterbacks, even if they're related to me. I want him to have fun being a junior in high school, and I want him to enjoy this experience. Cooper is giving him great guidance."

Trying to temper others' expectations for Arch seems like a futile effort. At 6 feet, 4 inches with a rocket arm, lightning-quick release and good mobility, he is widely considered a can't-miss prospect, wherever he ends up.

"He looks a lot like his two uncles, at least when they were coming out of high school, and probably has even better arm strength," said one major college football coach, who has watched Arch's film extensively. "He's definitely more mobile and always knows where he's going with the ball. The comparisons aren't fair, to Peyton and Eli, but I also don't think any of that fazes him. As much as anything, his presence and composure are what stand out. Sound familiar?"

"He's got the quickest release that I've ever seen, just how fast the ball gets out," Stewart added. "His load to release is almost eerie. He snaps his wrist and the ball is out. He has tremendous footwork and takes pride in that. His drops are very fast. He has a really good pocket presence. Young quarterbacks sometimes get flushed out and feel the pressure and want to spin and run outside the pocket. He's not that way. He hangs in there and is willing to take shots."

This season, Arch has completed 66% of his passes for 1,188 yards with 16 touchdowns, leading the Greenies to a 4-1 record. In his three-year career, he has passed for 5,507 yards with 71 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, while running for 608 yards with 17 more scores. It hasn't all come easy. In last week's 12-7 loss to St. Charles, Arch was 16-of-28 passing for 136 yards with a touchdown and his first interception of the season. The Greenies are expected to get another stiff challenge from Berkeley Prep, which is led by defensive end Keon Keeley (Notre Dame), Xavier Townsend (Iowa State) and C.J. Hawkins (Stanford).

"At Newman we're not blessed with a lot of wide receivers that can run 4.3 or 4.4 [seconds in the 40-yard dash], and he'll have to take velocity off some of his balls," Stewart said. "He's very accurate and can really squeeze it in there. His athleticism is different; he's not just a one-dimensional guy. He can run all over the place and has great top-end speed with good agility. A lot of people like to turn on SportsCenter and see those 70-yard throws from the [Patrick] Mahomes types when they're scrambling, and he can do those things."

Stewart was a defensive lineman at Isidore Newman from 1991 to 1994; he was a freshman when Cooper was a senior and Peyton was a sophomore. He played guard at Tulane and is in his 23rd season coaching the Greenies, the last 16 as head coach. Arch and his younger brother, Heid, a sophomore center, are the first sons of a former high school teammate that he has coached. Heid added 30 pounds in the offseason to move to center. He accompanied Arch on his unofficial visits, and Stewart joked that Heid has committed everywhere he's gone.

"As Arch started here in middle school, I think everybody's goal has been to just give him as normal of a life as we can, just a level of normalcy because you never want to stunt his growth," Stewart said. "I've always tried to treat him just like everyone else. We're not trying to protect him, but he is still a teenager."

Cooper followed his father's rule that prohibited playing tackle football until it was offered at school. So, Arch and Heid played flag football until middle school. As an eighth grader, Arch practiced with the Isidore Newman varsity team in the spring of 2019.

Stewart still remembers the first time Arch took a snap with the first-team offense. On that play, Arch noticed that the defense was shifting from a Cover 3 scheme, with corners and safeties protecting the deep thirds of the field, to Cover 1 with all but a safety playing man-to-man. Arch checked at the line of scrimmage and fired a 50-yard touchdown to Jarmone Sutherland, an all-state receiver, who now plays at Dartmouth.

"He saw the cornerback flip his hips," Stewart said. "He just did a little hand signal and they both nodded. To be honest, we hadn't even worked on that a lot because I'd only had him at the varsity level for a couple of weeks. He saw it and just loaded his shoulder and let it rip. He looked back at me, and I just kind of nodded. It was very poetic."

Arch became the first freshman quarterback in at least the last 40 years to start an opener for Isidore Newman, something his Super Bowl-winning uncles didn't even do. He has started every game in two-plus seasons for Isidore Newman, a 118-year-old private school of about 1,000 students located in Uptown New Orleans.

It's difficult not to recognize the Manning legacy at Michael Lupin Field, which sits on the edge of the 11-acre campus and next to a centuries-old cemetery with above-ground tombstones. Five years ago, Isidore Newman opened the Manning Family Athletic Complex, which includes a plaza, practice field, skydeck and pressbox. In 2015, the school retired the No. 18 jersey first worn by Cooper, then Peyton and finally Eli. Arch can be reminded of his family's legacy every time he looks up at the No. 18 on the brick wall of the football facility, with his father's and uncles' names just below. Archie sometimes watches practice from the parking lot.

"I think there's a natural pressure, but I think he's just one of those kids who is a high achiever and has high standards," Stewart said. "It's just how he's wired. I know he adores his grandfather and it's an incredibly close family. He doesn't get caught up in it. I really do just focus on the Arch, and not the Manning, and just be his coach. I think he's his own entity, and he knows that. There's no sense of entitlement with him, and that's important to me. He's very unassuming. I don't think he feels pressure because of [his name], but he puts pressure on himself."

As much as anything, Arch is a film junkie. Emily Doliner moved to New Orleans from Maine to attend Tulane in 2007. While working in the Green Wave's athletics department, a boss inquired about her babysitting availability. The Mannings were looking for a sitter for their daughter, May, and Arch and Heid. May, a volleyball player at Isidore Newman, now attends the University of Virginia.

Doliner has been a part of the family ever since. Some nights, she'd notice Arch getting animated while looking at his phone. "I just assumed it was a teenager having reactions to some gossip," Doliner said. "I was so excited to hear what was going on."

But Arch was actually watching highlights of one of his games two years earlier.

"I can't believe I missed that!" he said.

When Arch took an unofficial visit to Texas in June, he spent time with Sarkisian and other coaches in front of a whiteboard. He accidentally left his notes behind. Someone found them and gave them to Sarkisian. "Coach Sarkisian called me and said it took their breath away and that it was staggering how much information he was writing down," Stewart said.

"I just want you to know that I've been doing this for a long time and have worked with a lot of quarterbacks," Sarkisian told him. "Even if I never get to coach this kid, the fact that I got to work with him today was phenomenal and makes it all worth it. That's the kind of impression he had on us."

Along with not playing video games or engaging in social media, Arch never showed much interest in watching TV until this past summer, when he binged Friday Night Lights. He stayed up late one night watching Titanic for the first time. He prefers to keep it simple, Doliner said, with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and snacks from Smoothie King.

After his freshman season, Arch was preparing to send his highlights to coaches around the country. He wasn't sure which coaches should get them. "In my mind, I'm thinking, 'You can turn on ESPN and see your tapes,'" Doliner said.

So Arch came up with a list of schools, which included pretty much the entire SEC and every other school in the final AP top 25 poll in 2019. She was surprised how unassuming he was about some of his choices. When she mentioned one particular school with a great academic reputation, he replied, "I don't know if I can get in there."

"He's a great student," she said. "It was just a real freshman boy talking about college and not fully understanding how many doors could be opened for him because of football."

As for the question everyone keeps asking (and asking and asking), Arch and his inner circle aren't offering many hints.


"I think he's still slowly kind of narrowing his focus," Stewart said. "I think he's not rushing it. Just watching him, I think he's still learning. I don't think it's just studying offenses. He really enjoys going to games, going to campus and talking to students and learning about the towns. I think he really wants a good college experience, too. I think he wants to go to a college town where he can enjoy himself and have a full college experience. He's loved everywhere he's been."

For now, Arch is focused on trying to lead Isidore Newman to the Class 2A state playoffs. Once the dust settles on college football's coaching carousel this year, he'll make his official visits this spring and might be in position to make a college decision -- or maybe not.

"Arch has got a good head on his shoulders," Archie said. "It will come to him, and I think he'll handle it well. I think it will be hard. It will probably be kind of like Peyton. He would make a weekend visit and on Sunday night that was where he wanted to go. He's fortunate that he has good options."

 

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7 minutes ago, Big Woodrows said:

ESPN - Arch Manning and life as the nation's top quarterback recruit in a family of quarterback royalty
 

  Hide contents

For now, Arch is focused on trying to lead Isidore Newman to the Class 2A state playoffs. Once the dust settles on college football's coaching carousel this year, he'll make his official visits this spring and might be in position to make a college decision -- or maybe not.

"Arch has got a good head on his shoulders," Archie said. "It will come to him, and I think he'll handle it well. I think it will be hard. It will probably be kind of like Peyton. He would make a weekend visit and on Sunday night that was where he wanted to go. He's fortunate that he has good options."

 

Don't love this part. If Kiffin leaves, Ole Miss could make a hire that helps them a lot. Monken leaving UGA and getting replaced now would also reduce some of the uncertainty there.

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On 10/21/2021 at 1:13 PM, NoName said:

Casey pass attempts in 2nd half:

  • 19 yards to Worthy
  • incomplete to Worthy
  • incomplete to RoJo
  • incomplete pass
  • incomplete to Moore
  • incomplete to Worthy
  • 0 yards to Worthy
  • INT

2/8 for 19 yards and 1 INT is shitty.

some of it is scheme. i think there was a drop in there, but i didn't remember him being THAT bad.

Moore dropped a potential TD and certainly a long gainer.

Casey has to use his feet more.  

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4 hours ago, Big Woodrows said:

ESPN - Arch Manning and life as the nation's top quarterback recruit in a family of quarterback royalty
 

  Reveal hidden contents


NEW ORLEANS -- When Texas coach Steve Sarkisian connected with one of the country's most famous high school football players on FaceTime one afternoon in July, he couldn't hear the prospect because of a pinging noise in the background.

"Are you at an arcade?" Sarkisian asked. "Where are you?"


"Coach, it's kind of embarrassing," the quarterback said. "I'm babysitting. I'm at an arcade, but they've got enough coins to keep them busy for the next 30 minutes."

That's right, Arch Manning, the No. 2 high school player in the Class of 2023 and part of the third generation of football's most famous family, babysits two days a week during the summer and occasionally on the weekend. He doesn't play video games and isn't active on social media.

"He has such a good level of humility," said Nelson Stewart, Manning's coach at Isidore Newman School. "He doesn't like attention and he doesn't draw attention to himself. He just likes hanging out with his friends."

As the son of Cooper, grandson of Archie, and nephew of Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks Eli and Peyton, it would be easy for Arch to have an ego the size of nearby Lake Pontchartrain. But in the era of name, image and likeness, TikTok and Twitter, he seems like an anomaly. Outside of five posts on his private Instagram, he mostly stays off social media.

"I check it for other stuff, but I'm not really on there much," Arch said. "I don't really feel like dealing with all of that."


At least for now, Arch, 17, prefers to keep details of his day-to-day life and where he might be going to college private. The junior isn't expected to announce college football recruiting's most anticipated decision until at least next spring.

"It is a huge rarity, but it's also very refreshing," Stewart said. "I think now kids look at scholarship offers almost like a patch on a letter jacket. It's not about the offers, it's about announcing you're blessed and humbled and whatnot to draw attention to yourself. It's so refreshing to have a kid that's not that way."

Of course, when a quarterback has an arm like this and the last name Manning, the hype and promotion is going to find you, no matter how you try to keep it at bay. Two of his games, including Friday night's home contest (9 p.m. ET, ESPNU and ESPN App) against Berkeley Prep of Tampa, Fla., are being televised nationally.

After a 59-7 victory against Pearl River at home on Oct. 1, Arch took a few minutes to sign autographs. As far back as his freshman season, according to Stewart, the Isidore Newman football office received a handful of autograph requests in the mail each week. Stewart didn't allow Arch to do media interviews as a freshman and didn't let him know about the autograph requests until he was a sophomore.

"I think I am a regular guy on the team," Arch said. "I think Newman and New Orleans do a good job with that. I'm just a regular student and high school football player. I think outside of New Orleans, they try to hype it up, but I don't really think much about the whole Manning deal. I'm just trying to enjoy high school."


Arch's unofficial visits to campuses have even become events. Georgia might be undefeated with eyes on a national championship, but on Sept. 18 against South Carolina, thoughts were with a kid who couldn't suit up until 2023 as a group of fans painted "We Want Arch!" on their backs. When he went to Alabama two weeks later, Ole Miss fans outside Bryant-Denny Stadium urged him to choose the Rebels. Manning has also visited Clemson and Texas and will go to Ole Miss this weekend; the Rebels are retiring Eli's No. 10 jersey during ceremonies at a game against LSU.

"I'm still wide open. I'm just enjoying the process," Arch said. "It's cool to get to go visit some of the best schools in the country."

The low-key Manning is getting plenty of advice and direction from his grandfather, Archie, a star quarterback at Ole Miss and for the New Orleans Saints, and his father, Cooper, the oldest of Archie and Olivia Manning's three sons. Cooper was an all-state wide receiver at Isidore Newman School and was set to follow in his father's footsteps at Ole Miss. But he had to stop playing football when he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis in 1992.

"Arch is a sweet kid," Archie told ESPN. "He never gives anybody a problem. I'm proud of him. I've had three or four of the freshmen's daddies come up and tell me how Arch is nice to their sons. These are freshmen who aren't playing and are probably getting kicked around at practice a little bit. That makes me proud of him."

Cooper, Archie and Arch's famous uncles are reluctant to say much about him to the media, but they're still being asked. In July, at the Manning Passing Academy on the Nicholls State campus in Thibodaux, Louisiana, there were about 30 reporters present, from local and national outlets, for a question-and-answer session with Archie and his sons. Many of the reporters weren't there to ask about Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder, Notre Dame's Drew Pyne, Liberty's Malik Willis or Penn State's Sean Clifford, who were all at the camp.

As the Mannings were lined up against a wall, they were peppered with questions about Arch.

"Arch has a good approach," Archie said then. "I don't worry about Arch, but I don't want people to expect too much. He's getting attention; he's not asking for that. But I guess that comes with it. ... The only thing I ever tell Arch is, 'Have fun.'"

Peyton Manning, a five-time NFL MVP and Pro Football Hall of Famer, was asked about Arch flying to Denver to work out with him.

"I just don't.... he's getting plenty of attention, and I'm just not adding to it with QB analysis," Peyton said. "I do a little QB analysis with ESPN and I gotta keep that to the NFL. I don't do that with high school quarterbacks, even if they're related to me. I want him to have fun being a junior in high school, and I want him to enjoy this experience. Cooper is giving him great guidance."

Trying to temper others' expectations for Arch seems like a futile effort. At 6 feet, 4 inches with a rocket arm, lightning-quick release and good mobility, he is widely considered a can't-miss prospect, wherever he ends up.

"He looks a lot like his two uncles, at least when they were coming out of high school, and probably has even better arm strength," said one major college football coach, who has watched Arch's film extensively. "He's definitely more mobile and always knows where he's going with the ball. The comparisons aren't fair, to Peyton and Eli, but I also don't think any of that fazes him. As much as anything, his presence and composure are what stand out. Sound familiar?"

"He's got the quickest release that I've ever seen, just how fast the ball gets out," Stewart added. "His load to release is almost eerie. He snaps his wrist and the ball is out. He has tremendous footwork and takes pride in that. His drops are very fast. He has a really good pocket presence. Young quarterbacks sometimes get flushed out and feel the pressure and want to spin and run outside the pocket. He's not that way. He hangs in there and is willing to take shots."

This season, Arch has completed 66% of his passes for 1,188 yards with 16 touchdowns, leading the Greenies to a 4-1 record. In his three-year career, he has passed for 5,507 yards with 71 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, while running for 608 yards with 17 more scores. It hasn't all come easy. In last week's 12-7 loss to St. Charles, Arch was 16-of-28 passing for 136 yards with a touchdown and his first interception of the season. The Greenies are expected to get another stiff challenge from Berkeley Prep, which is led by defensive end Keon Keeley (Notre Dame), Xavier Townsend (Iowa State) and C.J. Hawkins (Stanford).

"At Newman we're not blessed with a lot of wide receivers that can run 4.3 or 4.4 [seconds in the 40-yard dash], and he'll have to take velocity off some of his balls," Stewart said. "He's very accurate and can really squeeze it in there. His athleticism is different; he's not just a one-dimensional guy. He can run all over the place and has great top-end speed with good agility. A lot of people like to turn on SportsCenter and see those 70-yard throws from the [Patrick] Mahomes types when they're scrambling, and he can do those things."

Stewart was a defensive lineman at Isidore Newman from 1991 to 1994; he was a freshman when Cooper was a senior and Peyton was a sophomore. He played guard at Tulane and is in his 23rd season coaching the Greenies, the last 16 as head coach. Arch and his younger brother, Heid, a sophomore center, are the first sons of a former high school teammate that he has coached. Heid added 30 pounds in the offseason to move to center. He accompanied Arch on his unofficial visits, and Stewart joked that Heid has committed everywhere he's gone.

"As Arch started here in middle school, I think everybody's goal has been to just give him as normal of a life as we can, just a level of normalcy because you never want to stunt his growth," Stewart said. "I've always tried to treat him just like everyone else. We're not trying to protect him, but he is still a teenager."

Cooper followed his father's rule that prohibited playing tackle football until it was offered at school. So, Arch and Heid played flag football until middle school. As an eighth grader, Arch practiced with the Isidore Newman varsity team in the spring of 2019.

Stewart still remembers the first time Arch took a snap with the first-team offense. On that play, Arch noticed that the defense was shifting from a Cover 3 scheme, with corners and safeties protecting the deep thirds of the field, to Cover 1 with all but a safety playing man-to-man. Arch checked at the line of scrimmage and fired a 50-yard touchdown to Jarmone Sutherland, an all-state receiver, who now plays at Dartmouth.

"He saw the cornerback flip his hips," Stewart said. "He just did a little hand signal and they both nodded. To be honest, we hadn't even worked on that a lot because I'd only had him at the varsity level for a couple of weeks. He saw it and just loaded his shoulder and let it rip. He looked back at me, and I just kind of nodded. It was very poetic."

Arch became the first freshman quarterback in at least the last 40 years to start an opener for Isidore Newman, something his Super Bowl-winning uncles didn't even do. He has started every game in two-plus seasons for Isidore Newman, a 118-year-old private school of about 1,000 students located in Uptown New Orleans.

It's difficult not to recognize the Manning legacy at Michael Lupin Field, which sits on the edge of the 11-acre campus and next to a centuries-old cemetery with above-ground tombstones. Five years ago, Isidore Newman opened the Manning Family Athletic Complex, which includes a plaza, practice field, skydeck and pressbox. In 2015, the school retired the No. 18 jersey first worn by Cooper, then Peyton and finally Eli. Arch can be reminded of his family's legacy every time he looks up at the No. 18 on the brick wall of the football facility, with his father's and uncles' names just below. Archie sometimes watches practice from the parking lot.

"I think there's a natural pressure, but I think he's just one of those kids who is a high achiever and has high standards," Stewart said. "It's just how he's wired. I know he adores his grandfather and it's an incredibly close family. He doesn't get caught up in it. I really do just focus on the Arch, and not the Manning, and just be his coach. I think he's his own entity, and he knows that. There's no sense of entitlement with him, and that's important to me. He's very unassuming. I don't think he feels pressure because of [his name], but he puts pressure on himself."

As much as anything, Arch is a film junkie. Emily Doliner moved to New Orleans from Maine to attend Tulane in 2007. While working in the Green Wave's athletics department, a boss inquired about her babysitting availability. The Mannings were looking for a sitter for their daughter, May, and Arch and Heid. May, a volleyball player at Isidore Newman, now attends the University of Virginia.

Doliner has been a part of the family ever since. Some nights, she'd notice Arch getting animated while looking at his phone. "I just assumed it was a teenager having reactions to some gossip," Doliner said. "I was so excited to hear what was going on."

But Arch was actually watching highlights of one of his games two years earlier.

"I can't believe I missed that!" he said.

When Arch took an unofficial visit to Texas in June, he spent time with Sarkisian and other coaches in front of a whiteboard. He accidentally left his notes behind. Someone found them and gave them to Sarkisian. "Coach Sarkisian called me and said it took their breath away and that it was staggering how much information he was writing down," Stewart said.

"I just want you to know that I've been doing this for a long time and have worked with a lot of quarterbacks," Sarkisian told him. "Even if I never get to coach this kid, the fact that I got to work with him today was phenomenal and makes it all worth it. That's the kind of impression he had on us."

Along with not playing video games or engaging in social media, Arch never showed much interest in watching TV until this past summer, when he binged Friday Night Lights. He stayed up late one night watching Titanic for the first time. He prefers to keep it simple, Doliner said, with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and snacks from Smoothie King.

After his freshman season, Arch was preparing to send his highlights to coaches around the country. He wasn't sure which coaches should get them. "In my mind, I'm thinking, 'You can turn on ESPN and see your tapes,'" Doliner said.

So Arch came up with a list of schools, which included pretty much the entire SEC and every other school in the final AP top 25 poll in 2019. She was surprised how unassuming he was about some of his choices. When she mentioned one particular school with a great academic reputation, he replied, "I don't know if I can get in there."

"He's a great student," she said. "It was just a real freshman boy talking about college and not fully understanding how many doors could be opened for him because of football."

As for the question everyone keeps asking (and asking and asking), Arch and his inner circle aren't offering many hints.


"I think he's still slowly kind of narrowing his focus," Stewart said. "I think he's not rushing it. Just watching him, I think he's still learning. I don't think it's just studying offenses. He really enjoys going to games, going to campus and talking to students and learning about the towns. I think he really wants a good college experience, too. I think he wants to go to a college town where he can enjoy himself and have a full college experience. He's loved everywhere he's been."

For now, Arch is focused on trying to lead Isidore Newman to the Class 2A state playoffs. Once the dust settles on college football's coaching carousel this year, he'll make his official visits this spring and might be in position to make a college decision -- or maybe not.

"Arch has got a good head on his shoulders," Archie said. "It will come to him, and I think he'll handle it well. I think it will be hard. It will probably be kind of like Peyton. He would make a weekend visit and on Sunday night that was where he wanted to go. He's fortunate that he has good options."

 

Thought it was interesting Sark was mentioned a couple times in the article. 

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18 minutes ago, SarksJuggs said:

I’m surprised his family lets him play on that trash team. He was under pressure immediately and took some big shots..

Some people still think adversity has the capability of making someone better. You know, so they don’t choke when it happens repeatedly in college.

  • Hook 'Em 3
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