As Sam Houston prepares for a showdown with the Texas Longhorns, the Bearkats’ head coach has a sense of familiarity with the quarterback he’ll be facing on Saturday.
SHSU head coach Phil Longo, who previously served as the offensive coordinator at Ole Miss, North Carolina and Wisconsin, revealed this week that he recruited UT starting quarterback Arch Manning when the Longhorns’ signal-caller was in high school.
Longo developed a relationship with Arch’s grandfather, Archie Manning, during his tenure at Ole Miss from 2017-18. Archie, who was named the 1969 SEC Player of the Year, is regarded as one of the greatest players in Ole Miss football history. He went on to play for 14 seasons in the NFL.
“He was extremely embracing when I arrived at Ole Miss,” Longo said during Tuesday’s press conference. “Gave us an opportunity to get to know him, we talk on occasion now. We keep in touch on everything from football to life and everything in between—including raising boys in a football family, since I have a son now.”
Arch Manning is the son of Cooper Manning, who is the brother of Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning. Cooper originally committed to Ole Miss just like Archie and Eli, but had to end his career after being diagnosed with spinal stenosis.
Multiple outlets, including ESPN, ranked Arch Manning as the No. 1 high school recruit in the 2023 class. He committed to Texas on June 23, 2022.
Arch Manning entered the season as a leading Heisman trophy favorite, but has endured inconsistency throughout the season. Manning has thrown for 573 passing yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions in three games so far this season.
Regardless of some recent struggles, Longo is aware of the challenge his team will face on Saturday.
“Always was a big fan of Arch coming out of high school,” Longo said. “He truly is one of the better high school guys I’ve seen and had a pleasure of recruiting coming out of high school. I can’t say I am excited about coaching against him right now, but that’s what on the table for Saturday, and that’s the guy we’re gearing up for.”
