Getting final word with Arch Manning is paramount for Texas football

The final official visit of what’s currently on the books for this month for the elite five-star Isidore Newman quarterback Arch Manning is set to take place with Texas football this coming weekend. In fact, Arch’s official visit to Texas is expected to last multiple days and will start on June 17.

This will be the third and final official visit for Arch this month. The first two came with the Georgia Bulldogs (June 3) and Alabama Crimson Tide (June 10). He also took a trip to the LSU seven-on-seven camp last week.

Arch headlines a list of roughly a dozen official visitors for second-year head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns this weekend. He will be joined by some big names such as four-star South Oak Cliff cornerback Malik Muhammad, four-star Langham Creek wide receiver Jaquaize Pettaway, and four-star Temple athlete Mikal Harrison-Pilot, among others.

Beyond the obvious of trying to continue to gain momentum with Arch, the importance of this official visit this weekend is two-fold.

First and foremost, since Texas is getting the final official visit this month, this is an opportunity for Sark and quarterbacks coach AJ Milwee to get an edge over the rest of Arch’s top schools. Texas and Georgia are presumed to be the top two schools at this point of the offseason in the race to land a commitment from Arch.

Head coach Kirby Smart and the Dawgs are in constant communication with Arch and his camp. That combined with Georgia having a successful official visit with Arch by most accounts a couple of weeks ago does give them some momentum in this recruitment.

Georgia is trying to convince Arch that he is their top priority and that they can build a successful offensive unit around him. A potential roadblock for them in convincing Arch to bring his talents to is the lack of a proven track record of NFL quarterback development under Smart and offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

And it looks like Georgia is trying to overcome this with some of the close ties that Arch has with this staff and with the obvious fact that the Dawgs are the reigning National Champions. Those arguments from Georgia are convincing and look to have an impact on Arch.

Texas football has a huge chance during the OV with 5-Star QB Arch Manning this weekend

But Texas getting the chance to give their pitch to Arch and give him the final impression of how his top schools could stack up throughout the rest of the summer is huge. Texas can harp on the proven track record of quarterback development for Sark in the last couple of decades during his official visit this weekend.

Sark and the Longhorns staff can also make the point that this Texas offense is more conducive to quarterback success and development than Georgia’s.

Moreover, the focal point of Arch’s official visit this weekend will be the potential wave of momentum that Texas is about to get on the recruiting trail for the 2023 class. Texas got off to a pretty slow start on the recruiting trail for the 2023 class this offseason.

Yet, Texas is expected to see a spike in activity for the 2023 class this summer. And it could all be sparked by a successful official visit season, which could be evidenced by the underrated and potent three-star Mater Dei tight end Spencer Shannon who committed to Texas a few days ago.

Some of the potential commitments that Texas could be in line to get this summer would be impactful as it pertains to the pursuit of Arch. If Texas lands commitments from key 2023 recruiting targets such as the highly touted four-star DeSoto wide receiver Johntay Cook, three-star Newman tight end Will Randle, and/or five-star El Campo running back Rueben Owens, that would go a long way to proving that this class will have the necessary supporting cast to facilitate Arch’s success in Austin.

Randle and Cook are two of the aforementioned key Longhorns recruiting targets for the 2023 class that are likely to be on campus this weekend. Arch’s teammate Randle is also scheduled for an official visit to Austin this weekend. And it’s anticipated that Cook could make his way to Austin for an unofficial visit simultaneous to Arch’s OV in the next few days.

The interactions between Arch and some of the other priority recruits visiting Texas this weekend will be an important factor to watch while he’s on campus.

All in all, if Texas can take advantage of getting the final official visit this month from Arch by both making a fantastic pitch to him and his camp and sparking an entire wave of momentum on the trail for the rest of the summer, this could be a turning point in this recruitment. Texas is trying to seal the deal with Arch before the fall, and they have the opportunity to move closer to getting that done during this critical official visit this weekend.

This weekend will be the fourth time that Arch has taken either an unofficial or official visit to Texas since last summer. And while it might not be the final time that Arch visits before making a decision, it is likely to be the most important visit of all during this recruitment.