Is Georgia the leader for Arch Manning after winning national championship?

The Georgia football program continues to be near the front of the line for Arch Manning’s high-profile 2023 commitment.

While there were several other notable college coaches at Arch Manning‘s high school basketball game on Monday night, Kirby Smart and the Georgia football program had a tremendous presence in New Orleans.

Smart was there in-person to watch the five-star 2023 quarterback prospect hoop it up for Isidore Newman. Joining him at the prestigious New Orleans private school includes offensive coordinator Todd Monken, offensive line coach Matt Luke and offensive assistant Buster Faulkner, who may receive a promotion with former wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton heading to Baton Rouge.

While the Mannings have done a great job about not tipping Arch’s hand, is Georgia now the favorite to land the prized 2023 recruit over the likes of Alabama, Clemson, Ole Miss and Texas?

Georgia football: Will the Dawgs end up landing Arch Manning in 2023?

With teams like Clemson and Texas not having great 2021 seasons up to their programs’ lofty standards, Georgia has quietly asserted itself in the Manning sweepstakes, possibly into pole position heading into the spring.

Of course, Alabama and Ole Miss are serious candidates to land Manning, but there is a greater level of instability with those two SEC West schools than Georgia.

With the Crimson Tide, though Alabama has quickly become Quarterback U, Saban is on the wrong side of 70. He may want to coach for the next half-decade, but there are no guarantees Saban will still be there. Should Alabama land Manning, look for Saban to coach the prized quarterback until he enters the NFL Draft and then retires to life on network television or more time on the lake.

And this is where Georgia makes things very interesting. Luke has deep Ole Miss connections from his days as a player and head coach in Oxford. Smart played in the SEC East when Uncle Peyton was at Tennessee. Though he went undrafted out of Georgia, Smart did spend time on the same 1999 Indianapolis Colts as Manning. Todd Monken runs an NFL offense and that should matter.

Lastly, Georgia is the defending national champion. Smart is not going anywhere anytime soon. He is in his mid-40s as his alma mater’s head coach. Even more so, Georgia does not have a quarterback on the roster who will surely be the starter going forward. Stetson Bennett will be gone by then. JT Daniels is in the transfer portal. Is Manning better than Brock Vandagriff or Gunner Stockton?

Overall, Georgia has an incredible case to land Manning, as the program’s stock has never been higher. The Dawgs will continue to recruit at a top-three level and be in the mix to contend for SEC and College Football Playoff National Championships for the foreseeable future.

Georgia may not end up winning the Manning sweepstakes, but the Dawgs should be a finalist.

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