‘Next’ Manning QB is headed to Longhorns

Arch Manning is following in the footsteps of his famous uncles and grandfather to take on the best of the SEC. Sort of. Eventually. The scion of the first family of quarterbacking announced Thursday a verbal commitment to Texas, which is scheduled to leave the Big 12 for the SEC by no later than 2025. Texas and rival Oklahoma could negotiate buyouts to change conferences as soon as 2023.

“Committed to the University of Texas. #HookEm,” Manning wrote in his first tweet from a verified account.

The commitment of the top-ranked recruit in the class of 2023 out of Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans ends, or at least tempers, the most high-profile recruitment in years. Poaching is still a possibility until Manning’s letter of intent is signed in December, at the earliest.

Manning visited Texas, Alabama and Georgia this month, and many tea-leaf readers thought he was bound for defending-champion Georgia.

Instead, the grandson and namesake of longtime NFL quarterback Archie, the nephew of future Hall of Famers Peyton and Eli, and the son of sports media personality Cooper — whose own playing career was cut short by injury — is the centerpiece of coach Steve Sarkisian’s attempt to rebuild Texas into a national power. All the generations gathered together Wednesday night, according to a photo tweeted by Eli.

The Longhorns have reached 10 wins just once in the 12 seasons since they played for the BCS national championship in January 2010. Three coaches, including national-title winner Mack Brown, have been fired or forced out since then. Sarkisian has coached NFL first-round picks Matt Leinart, Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones at various stops, and is considered one of the top quarterback minds in college.

Texas also has another top quarterback prospect in Ohio State transfer Quinn Ewers — who will theoretically start in 2022, but may have to fend off Manning eventually. Manning threw for 5,731 yards and 72 touchdowns over his first three high school seasons — a chunk of that to tight end Will Randle, a close friend who also is headed to Texas following a commitment made earlier this week.

If all goes according to plan, Arch could enter the 2026 NFL Draft and try to be taken No. 1 overall, as Peyton was by the Colts in 1998 and Eli was by the Chargers (traded to the Giants) in 2004.