Arch Manning slated for multiple fall visits

Arch Manning will make his long-awaited return to the field in Isidore Newman’s season opener against West St. John (La.) on Friday night. After that, he’ll hit the road to begin what figures to be a busy fall of college visits.

Manning is slated to make multiple visits over the next two months, according to 247Sports. A trip to Athens to watch Georgia play South Carolina is first on the docket. Manning visited with Georgia’s coaching staff during the summer, making a strong first impression while he was on campus.

“That’s definitely more of a pro-style offense than some colleges,” Manning said. “I’m excited and coach [Todd] Monken is a really good coach and I think they’re going to have a good year and it’s going to be cool watching them in person. Athens is really cool. That was probably the best college town there is. Coach Kirby [Smart] has a good program. He’s a really laid-back, good guy and seems like a guy I want to play for.”

Alabama will get Manning’s second visit of the fall for its Oct. 2 matchup with Ole Miss — another school heavily involved in the 6-foot-4, 215-pound five-star quarterback’s recruitment. Manning’s first visit to Tuscaloosa during the summer was a successful one, as he spent time with Nick Saban and watched Bryce Young during a player-run practice.

“I’d love to be in a program like that, that organized with coach Saban,” Manning said. “That would be a dream come true.”

Manning will visit Texas two weeks after his Alabama visit to check in with former Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian and his Longhorns program. Sarkisian and his coaching staff immediately made Manning a priority after arriving in Austin and that has stood out to him.

After Texas is a return to a very familiar place, as Manning will be in Oxford to watch his uncle, Eli, get his jersey retired at Ole Miss on Oct. 23. The Rebels will host LSU, who is also pushing for Manning, on that day.

“Oxford is amazing,” Manning said. “Coach [Jeff] Lebby and coach [Lane] Kiffin are some of the smartest offensive minds I’ve ever met. I met with coach Kiffin, it seems like for four hours and he blew me away with his knowledge and they’re going to put up some points this year and I’m excited to watch them.”

Ole Miss is Manning’s last scheduled visit of the fall, but there is a chance he also checks out Clemson at some point during the season. Manning is also in frequent contact with the likes of LSU and Stanford.

“I think it will be next spring or summer,” Manning said of a possible timeline for a commitment. “It’s so hard to know or tell, I’m just taking it one day at a time.”