In late March 2022, I was in New Orleans for the Rivals Camp Series and I thought it would be an opportune time to interview five-star quarterback Arch Manning.
I’ve done thousands of these interviews over the years with the best players in football. This would be a piece of cake.
It was like trying to schedule an audience with the Pope. I tried through our regional analyst at the time and we didn’t get much of a response. I tried through New Orleans (La.) St. Augustine coach Nelson Stewart, a super nice guy who was more than accommodating with me, but no luck with Manning.
I was told he left early for a trip to Texas even though I made it perfectly clear I was available morning, noon or night to sit down with Manning, just for 10 minutes.
Couldn’t be worked out.
About three months later, Manning committed to the Longhorns with his first-ever social media post on June 23, 2022, simply saying “Committed to the University of Texas. #HookEm” and a picture of him throwing in a Texas t-shirt.
He wouldn’t provide quotes on his commitment and again he was unavailable for comment. Again, Stewart was a total pro, was great to the media and genuinely was a great person to deal with through Manning’s recruitment.
A few days after his Texas commitment, Manning was a no-show at Elite 11. Manning’s senior season rolled around and then the all-star games happened and again, Manning didn’t participate in those, either.
From start to finish of his high school career, Manning played in exactly zero national events.
Throughout his recruitment, I was critical of the way he was being handled. Friends said Manning was great, a normal guy, just wanted to be around his team and be a kid. Totally cool dude.
Then last week, something else popped up when Manning opted out of the new EA Sports College Football 25 game (unlike a reported 10,000 other athletes) for what could only be a contrived and barely understandable reason: He’s focused on playing football on the field.
What?
Manning doesn’t have to design the game or even play the thing. He just has to give the go-ahead to use his name and likeness to create a pixelated character on a screen. Even that is too much, I guess.
After that report was released, I tweeted “Live a little Arch. It’s fun out here in the real world!”
I meant it. If Manning is as good as expected, he will take over from Quinn Ewers after this season and be a superstar. The media will fawn all over him, especially at Texas. He will be a top NFL Draft pick.
What’s the use in hiding and being handled by whomever is calling these shots to basically not join society, not be involved like every other: 1. College athlete and 2. College kid to just let go a little bit and stop measuring every inch of every aspect of your life?
Trevor Lawrence was the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft and is leading a resurgence in Jacksonville. He hung out at Rivals events all the time, he played in the All-American Bowl. He’s OK. Same with Bryce Young, Justin Fields, Kyler Murray, Tua Tagovailoa, Nico Iamaleava, Dante Moore and the list goes on and on.
I remember a late-night media session in Redondo Beach after an Elite 11 workout a few summers ago with Ewers where he was surrounded by media for at least 15-20 minutes. He didn’t love it but the five-star quarterback got through it. He didn’t melt.
Bryce Young’s dad and I still talk. Young went to everything to prove to everybody he was not only a five-star quarterback but the best of the best. I needed a big work favor from Young this past offseason, I hit up Craig Young and a day or two later, the video I needed from Bryce Young was texted to me. Unthinkable in Manning World.
I remember a night in San Antonio at the All-American Bowl when Trevor Lawrence’s whole family showed up at a restaurant where I was eating with some media members and we all hung out and shot the bull for a while. Lawrence seems to have survived that casual interaction with media in a social setting.
My point to Manning and the people around him making these decisions is this: Loosen up. What’s the point of all the work and all the sacrifice and all the talent if you forget to have any damn fun along the way?
