Florida football recruiting: Arch Manning eyes visit as Gators aim to lure top 2023 quarterback

Football

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Image Credit: @GatorsFB / Twitter

It has been years since a high-profile recruitment received as much attention as the one involving five-star quarterback Arch Manning (New Orleans, LA). The 2023 signal caller, ranked as the No. 1 overall prospect in his class by 247Sports, announced this week that he plans to take official visits to Alabama, Georgia and Texas as his whirlwind recruitment begins to narrow with the upcoming season approaching.

However, Manning is not limiting himself to those three programs, nor is he considering them his finalists at this time. In fact, he told FOX 8’s Garland Gillen on Monday that he is also likely to visit Florida and LSU with Manning eyeing a visit to Gainesville, Florida, for a single day this summer.

“I’ve had a few conversations with Florida. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Coach [Billy] Napier, so I might want to get check and see what they’re all about,” Manning told On3, also on Monday.

The Gators have made Manning their top target in the Class of 2023, and to this point, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound gunslinger has kept his ears open.

While it’s unlikely that Florida is ultimately one of his finalists, it appears as if the program will have an opportunity to impress Manning on an unofficial visit, which may be a courtesy due to strong Louisiana ties with Napier and members of the coaching staff. If all goes well, perhaps the Gators can convince him to take an official, multi-day visit to The Swamp.

With it possible that redshirt sophomore Anthony Richardson heads to the NFL if he lives up to expectations in his first season as a full-time starter, Florida will almost certainly need a top-flight quarterback as part of the next incoming class. What Napier’s plans are beyond Manning are not known at this time.

The son of Cooper Manning and nephew of NFL greats Peyton and Eli Manning, Arch threw for 1,947 yards, 26 touchdowns and four interceptions as a junior at Isadore Newman High School. Arch, of course, named after his grandfather, College Football Hall of Famer Archie Manning.