Arch Manning calls Athens 'the best college town' he's been to

Many college football fans are looking for any clue they can get about Arch Manning’s potential choice of school. The quarterback himself may have given a big one in a recent interview.

Manning talked about his potential destinations in an interview last week, and was particularly effusive in his praise for Georgia. In addition to praising coach Kirby Smart, Manning praised Athens, Georgia, as the best college town he’d been to.

“I love coach Kirby (Smart), and he’s a real normal guy, a great coach,” Manning told Sam Spiegelman of On3. “Athens is probably the best college town I’ve ever been to. The coaches are all good people, they know how to win, know what it takes, and it was cool seeing that.”

This does not automatically mean Manning is leaning toward Georgia, but it is certainly notable to see him praise the staff and the environment he would be in if he went there. If nothing else, it gives Georgia fans some reasons for optimism that they could reel in the consensus top recruit in the 2023 class.

Previous reports had named three schools as the strongest suitors for Manning, and Georgia was one of them. They at least have a real shot at bringing him in.