Here’s the Mind-Boggling Six-Figure Amount the Texas Longhorns Spent in Order to Woo Arch Manning Into Their Program
College football in the US is an extremely serious matter. Colleges spend a good amount of time and money recruiting the best talent for their respective programs and this year is no different as the Texas Longhorns ran up their tab in order to woo Arch Manning. As the name suggests, Arch Manning is the nephew of Super Bowl winners, Eli and Peyton Manning. And he recently committed his future to the Texas Longhorns.
In June, Arch Manning made an official visit to Texas, along with 9 others.
The school spent $280,000 in 48 hours, per @TheAthletic:
▪️ Airfare, cars
▪️ 5-star hotel
▪️ Parents' open bar
▪️ Custom cakes
▪️ Topgolf
▪️ An ice sculpture
▪️ Lake cruiseArch committed 3 days later. pic.twitter.com/kYljMKcBsM
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) September 16, 2022
According to reports acquired by The Athletic, the Longhorns spent in excess of $630,000 on two recruiting weekends in June. The Manning visit included him and eight other potential candidates. All families were put up in extremely luxurious hotels with the all-you-can-eat fare for the athletes and their families. The Manning visit in itself cost the college a mind-blowing $280,000.
This Arch Manning fella looks alright. pic.twitter.com/QifjdkL0CL
— CJ Vogel (@CJVogel_OTF) September 10, 2022
Among the highlights of the visit, according to The Athletic: a full spread in their rooms at the Four Seasons Austin, a photo shoot at DKR Texas Memorial Stadium, a trip to driving range Top Golf, multiple lavish meals, and breakfast at the home of coach Steve Sarkisian. This tactic seems to be working for Texas as Manning and his teammate, three-star tight end Will Randle, also committed their future to the team.
Texas Longhorns lead the way in recruitment in 2022
Prior to the Manning weekend, the Longhorns spent $350,000 on 14 recruits. 12 of those recruits committed their future to the team, which is an impressive number to say the least. Financial reports published by the NCAA show that this kind of spending has become the norm, as colleges try to lure the best talent they can in order to improve their respective programs.
4th and 13? No problem.
Arch Manning rolls out of the pocket and throws a beauty for the touchdown. @OBWire pic.twitter.com/w433EUmrzy
— Cole Patterson (@_colepatterson) September 17, 2022
Texas spent $1,275,368 on recruiting for the 2019 fiscal year. That was the 13th most spent on recruiting that year, which was led by Georgia at $3,676,858. The Bulldogs spent $2.7 million on recruiting in 2020, which was affected by recruiting restrictions spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be interesting to see if colleges can keep up this level of spending in order to attract top talent from different colleges.