Recruiting experts tab Alabama as favorite to land Arch Manning

One recruiting resource has the Alabama Crimson Tide as the favorites to land Arch Manning.

The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine has 2023 five-star quarterback Arch Manning projected to Alabama.

Manning is the prized recruit of the 2023 recruiting class. The son of Cooper, the nephew of Peyton and Eli and the grandson of Archie is the crown jewel of this cycle. He is more athletic than his Super Bowl-winning uncles, playing more like his Grandpa Red and with the grace his father had as a high school receiver. For now, On3 has Manning projected to play for Nick Saban.

Entering the first weekend of April, the Ole Miss legacy has taken third recruiting trips to Alabama, Georgia and Texas. Alabama is leading at 35.6 percent, followed by Texas at 31.4, Georgia at 27.2 and Ole Miss at a distant three percent. Though On3 had Manning projected to Texas a week ago, it remains to be seen what SEC school he will end up playing for. So what can we glean from this?

If Manning does pick Alabama over Georgia, Ole Miss and Texas, it would be hard to blame him.

Arch Manning recruitment: Is Alabama the favorite for the 5-star 2023 QB?

Of the four supposed finalists for Manning’s commitment, Alabama would be a nice fit for him. He would be playing for the greatest coach the sport has ever seen. While he would be going to a rival school of all his family members, Alabama contends for championships annually. Though Saban will be coaching in his 70s when Manning arrives, Alabama will remain a top-tier program.

Over the last several years, Alabama has transformed its from a run-first, defensive-oriented operation to a pass-happy place where offensive coordinators and starting quarterbacks thrive. Three of the NFL‘s 32 starting quarterbacks played at Alabama recently. The first one to win a Heisman Trophy is coming back for what should be his final season in school in Bryce Young.

Of course, nobody would blame Manning if he played for Lane Kiffin in Oxford or for the defending national champions in Athens. Keep in mind that Uncle Peyton and Kirby Smart competed against each other in the SEC East in the mid-1990s and were very briefly teammates on the 1999 Indianapolis Colts. Georgia is not known for developing quarterbacks, but that is an elite program.

If Manning goes to Alabama, he can become the first national champion and Heisman Trophy winner in his entire family.

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