Arch Manning Usurped as No. 1 QB in On3 Recruiting Rankings

Arch Manning is no longer the No. 1 quarterback in the country. At least according to one outlet.

Matt Galatzan | Jan 17, 2023

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning was once universally considered as not just the No. 1 quarterback in the 2023 class, but the No. 1 overall recruit in the country.

However, that is no longer the case, with On3 dropping Manning to the No. 3 overall player, and the No. 2 quarterback in the most recent rankings updates.

He now sits behind Alabama defensive end signee Keon Keeley at No. 2, and the new No. 1 overall player, Tennessee signee Nico Iamaleava.

Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated currently ranks Manning as the No. 3 quarterback, and No. 9 overall prospect in the country.

Manning also ranks as the No. 2 QB and overall prospect by ESPN and is still ranked No. 1 by 247Sports and Rivals.com.

So what does all this mean?

Ultimately, nothing.

Manning is still an elite quarterback, with most experts giving him a legitimate shot a future Heisman Trophy finalist and first-round NFL Draft pick.

And at the end of the day, star ratings and recruiting rankings never have, and never will define the future of a player.

Were that the case, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Justin Herbert - arguably the NFL's three best quarterbacks and were all three-star recruits out of high school - would not be where they are today.

Not to mention, Daniel Jones (two-star), Dak Prescott (three-star), and Brock Purdy (three-star), who are playing for the right to take their teams to the NFC Championship this coming weekend.

In his four seasons as the starter for Isidore Newman, Manning has led the Greenies to the playoffs each year and shattered both his uncle Peyton and uncle Eli's high school records.

Manning finished his prep completing 488 of 743 passes for 6,307 yards and 81 touchdowns, with 17 interceptions. He also rushed 91 times for 742 yards and 19 touchdowns.

It is unclear whether or not Manning will compete for the starting job, but according to Sarkisian, the quarterback competition will likely be an open one, despite the already high-profile Quinn Ewers winning the job in 2022.

You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan

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Published Jan 17, 2023

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.