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Steve Sarkisian Reveals Peyton and Eli Manning's Role in Nephew Arch's Recruitment

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Utsav Khanna | Last updated Jun 25, 2025 9:24 AM ET

Arch Manning comes from one of the most decorated football families. It was unanimously believed that his uncles, Peyton and Eli Manning could impact his college recruitment.

But Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian says that it was their inaction that helped him draw a conclusive decision.

Appearing on the 3rd & Long podcast, the Longhorns head coach said, "I thought what was also interesting in the recruiting process- nowhere in that time did I get a call from Peyton, did I get a call from Eli. It wasn't about the uncles. It was always about their family and his grandpa, Archie who's a great influence on his life."

Coach Sarkisian claimed that for his recruitment process, no matter where the athlete is from, it is integral to get to know their family.

The Longhorns coach said, "We really try our best to get to know the family because I think the family is the best indicator of who the young man is gonna become in his time here."

After meeting Arch Manning's parents and siblings, Coach Sarkisian found them to be "awesome people." This showed the Texas recruitment staff that he was just a "normal, down-to-earth kid."

This was a big doubt for them going into Arch's recruitment since he's a third-generation college quarterback.

His grandfather, Archie Manning is one of the most influential quarterbacks in the game's history. Aside from the fact that two of his sons were Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks, he also established the Manning Passing Academy.

Quarterbacks like Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck, and Philip Rivers attended MPA during their developmental years.

Arch Manning has also attended MPA in addition to many other privileges that he's had because of his upbringing.

So, when coach Sarkisian figured out that despite his unique background, Arch is a grounded person, he knew he's recruiting the future starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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