'You could come here and be a normal guy' - Cooper Manning initially preferred a school other than Texas for Arch Manning

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning had a unique experience as a recruit.

Despite being the most famous high school player in the nation, Arch's recruitment was remarkably quiet. The Manning family did its best to let Arch experience life as a "normal" high school student. It was a tall task, but the mission was mostly accomplished -- rumors swirled about Arch's recruitment and preferred schools, but it was truly a surprise when he committed to Texas in the summer of 2022.

Arch chose Texas because of head coach Steve Sarkisian and because of the city of Austin, a place that isn't quite as football crazed as Tuscaloosa or Athens.

Avoiding a football crazed city was a key factor in Arch's decision.

Cooper Manning, Arch's dad, wanted the talented quarterback to choose a school where he could live as normal a life as possible. ESPN pointed out this week that Cooper actually initially preferred Virginia for Arch.

From ESPN: Arch visited Clemson twice, Alabama four times, Georgia four times, Texas four times, Ole Miss a few times, LSU, and even Virginia. Of all places, Cooper liked Virginia for his son for one reason: It wasn't a football crazy school. He could live under the radar. His older sister, May, was a student there. As Cooper and Arch walked through campus, the father saw an opportunity for something close to peacefulness. "You could come here, be a normal guy," Cooper told him. "No one's gonna mess with you."

While Cooper liked the idea of Virginia, I'm guessing it wasn't a legitimate option for Arch due to the Cavaliers' head coaching situation. Former Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott was hired as Virginia's head coach ahead of the 2022 season. And Arch seemingly made it clear during his recruitment that he needed to see a second season from new head coaches before he felt comfortable committing there.

Texas feels like a natural fit for Arch. I don't think there's any doubt that he made the right decision. It would've been wild, though, to see Arch mania take over Charlottesville for a couple of years.