The Grove Report

The Complexity of Ole Miss Recruiting: Arch Manning & Top QB Prospects

How long does Ole Miss Head Coach Lane Kiffin wait on Arch Manning before accepting the commitment of another high school signal caller?

Brian Smith

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Quarterback recruiting can be very complex. The class of 2023, in particular, is trending in such a direction from a national perspective. 

For Ole Miss, one could argue that the eventual landing spot for prized legacy prospect Arch Manning is an end-all, be-all decision.

Is it though?

Further, how should Rebels Head Coach Lane Kiffin handle the situation with Manning? If Manning drags out his recruitment decision beyond early June (and that’s definitely a possibility), there is reason to believe Ole Miss could be left without a truly excellent option at quarterback despite the quarterback class of 2023 being an “up” year at the position overall. 

That’s not good for the future of the Rebel QB room, obviously.

Prior to going into the list of names below, do note that Kiffin is a well respected play caller and quarterback developer regardless of stop and Matt Corrall is about to go early in the NFL Draft despite his injury. Because of those two facts, there’s probably more room for error in getting in on a quarterback later than most other programs. 

In short, when Kiffin calls a possible quarterback target, he’s likely to listen. Additionally, even if a quarterback commits to another school it’s not out of the question that Kiffin and the Ole Miss staff flip that young man to the Rebels. Keep that in mind, as always in the recruiting (and transfer portal) game.

So, here are some of the prime possibilities for Ole Miss quarterback recruiting, beginning but not ending with Manning -- plus names to consider as the Ole Miss quarterback spot reserved for the class of 2023.

Quarterback Targets

Arch Manning, New Orleans (La.) Isidore Newman

Dante Moore, Detroit (Mich.) Martin Luther King

Nicholaus Iamaleava, Downey (Calif.) Warren

Jaden Rashada, Pittsburg (Calif.) High School

Christopher Vizzina, Birmingham (Ala.) Briarwood Christian

Dylan Lonergan, Snellville (Ga.) Brookwood

Reese Mooney, Denham Springs (La.) High School - Vanderbilt commitment

Pierce Clarkson, Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco - Louisville commitment

Colby Lamberth, Dickson (Tenn.) Dickson County

Avery Johnson, Maize (Kan.) High School

Czavian Teasett, Scotlandville (La.) Scotlandville Magnet

RJ Johnson, Atlanta (Ga.) Westlake

Who Are These Guys?

If you do not know about Manning, are you really an Ole Miss or college football fan? Leaving Manning out, here’s a quick look at some of the other signal callers that Ole Miss offered.

*Moore is a big-time talent that’s going to be seeing schools down South. In fact, he’s already visited Miami and will see Florida State and others on a team bus tour soon. He fits the mold of a semi-mobile signal caller that Kiffin had success with before. Notre Dame and Michigan appear to be the best bets, but if Ole Miss gets him on campus…

*Iamaleava has a cannon for a right arm. The football just bursts towards intended targets. He’s a big personality that would likely fit in well with Kiffin on and off the gridiron, and that connection has been made. Oregon, Alabama, and Tennessee are three schools to watch beyond Ole Miss with the 6’6” signal caller, among others. As a side note, this young man is a big-time athlete. He's also one of the top volleyball players in the national as the following video indicates:

*Rashada might throw the best deep ball of any quarterback in the class of 2023. That’s saying something as it’s a banner recruiting year for quarterbacks. He’s a national recruit, in the mold of Manning, and his recruitment is hard to figure out long term with over 30 offers including Stanford, LSU and Miami in the last 40 days among others. The good news for Ole Miss would be Rashada visited Oxford last July, so he’s familiar.

*Vizzina is allegedly a Clemson lean with a pending visit to Notre Dame in early March. Will the Irish go all-in for Vizzina while still going after Moore (same deal for the Irish for Moore as Ole Miss is with Manning, perhaps)? From a player perspective, Vizzina is a really good prospect that can move the pocket and make plays and be accurate on the run. He could flourish in Kiffin’s scheme if the Rebels were his final pick. Georgia is in this race, too.

*Lonergan is as talented a baseball player as he is a football player. Does he go to the MLB Draft? That adds to the questions with his recruitment. Talent is there to flourish in any form of pro-style or spread offense. Projecting where he ends up, however, is very difficult because his baseball talents could see him selected in the first round.

*Mooney and Lamberth have the quarterback acumen to be really good in the Ole Miss offense, but few really know that much about them. With how Kiffin operates as a recruiter and goes after who he truly wants, do not discount them signing with the Rebels though.

*Those are just some of the players the Rebels could sign at quarterback, and players like Avery Johnson, RJ Johnson, or Teasett could be great long-term options as they are very good athletes with the arm talent to compete in the SEC West as well.

Out of the Blue

Do not be surprised if the Rebels end up going after a quarterback not currently on the aforementioned list. This is recruiting in 2022. Anything is possible. As an example, a rising quarterback in the Sunshine State would be Dylan Rizk from Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons. He’s another player that makes plays on the run and shows deep ball accuracy. His recruitment is heating up. Plus, Kiffin is very familiar with that area after coaching at Florida Atlantic.

One more to consider: Malachi Singleton from Kennesaw (Ga.) North Cobb. It’s actually surprising that Ole Miss did not yet offer. He’s earned offers from many schools including Arkansas, Georgia, UCF, Louisville, Cincinnati, and North Carolina State among others. Very athletic signal caller that’s playing near Atlanta. He could be an option as well.

Whom and When Does Ole Miss Go After While Waiting on Manning?

This is where it becomes interesting. At some point, Manning must make a final college choice. Will that decision come after several other targets come off the Ole Miss recruiting board? That’s the concern. There are several schools still in play beyond the Rebels, as the following article from Zach Goodall from All Gators defines.

If Manning pushes his decision back to say September, it could become a boom or bust decision for Kiffin and his staff. By then, just about all the other quarterbacks will be committed elsewhere. That’s the nature of quarterback recruiting, most want to be off the board before their senior season begins in August.

As a rule, quarterbacks commit early. With that a few points and questions that Kiffin. Charlie Weis Jr. and the staff will need to address at some point.

What timeline does each of the other quarterbacks we would like to sign have? Are any of these players possible flips down the line if they decide to pledge elsewhere while we continue to recruit Manning? Could we possibly see the Rebels sign two quarterbacks -- with one of them being okay with Manning coming as well, thereby allowing a commitment while we continue to pursue the young man from New Orleans?

Those are all tough answers to come up with, but are pivotal to Ole Miss’s recruiting success and eventual on-field success. Indeed, Ole Miss quarterback recruiting is very complex this year, and the above information does not even take into account the opportunity of Ole Miss going to the Transfer Portal once again after landing Southern Cal’s Jaxson Dart this year.

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Brian Smith
BRIAN SMITH

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