Could the LSU head coach hire get them back into the Arch Manning hunt?

There isn’t a bigger name in the college football recruiting landscape in 2023 than Arch Manning. The Louisiana native has the attention of every major football program in the country. The Alabama Crimson Tide, Georgia Bulldogs and Texas Longhorns seem to be the top three.

That isn’t stopping Lane Kiffin from calling an all-out blitz to bring the family scion to Oxford where his grandfather and uncle both have their number retired. In the state of Louisiana, most of the top athletes seem to find their way to Baton Rouge. While LSU seemed to be in the hunt early, the talk of the Tigers landing the five-star quarterback has fallen off a cliff.

Can the LSU Tigers find a way back in?

To do that, it will likely mean a name head coach known for getting quarterbacks to the NFL. Three names associated with the opening in Baton Rouge would make sense.

Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma Sooners

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Lincoln Riley has made a name for himself as the quarterback whisperer. Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray were No. 1 overall selections in the NFL draft and won the Heisman Trophy in their final season as quarterbacks of the Oklahoma Sooners. Riley has since recruited the No. 1 quarterback in 2019 (Spencer Rattler), 2021 (Caleb Williams), and in 2023 the Sooners have a commitment from the No. 2 quarterback behind Arch in Malachi Nelson.

Bringing Riley to the Bayou would most certainly get the Tigers into the Arch Manning race. The biggest question is there any chance that Riley leaves Norman and if he does, which quarterback would follow him?

Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss Rebels

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Lane Kiffin has worked with many quarterbacks that have made it to the NFL level. At USC there was Matt Barkley and Cody Kessler. At Alabama, there was Jalen Hurts, who was a Heisman finalist in his senior season under Riley. This year he has Matt Corral in the discussion as a top draft prospect and in the running for the Heisman. Kiffin knows a thing or two about quarterback play.

Kiffin has shown an affinity for Arch, and he isn’t going to back down from landing him. If Kiffin were to land the job at LSU, I would imagine that he would continue the hunt.

Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M Aggies

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Over his time as a head coach, Jimbo Fisher has sent his fair share of quarterbacks to the NFL. They haven’t always panned out, but he has shown he can get them to the big stage. At LSU it was JaMarcus Russell. During his tenure at Florida State, it was Christian Ponder and Jameis Winston. Texas A&M hasn’t seen a first-round quarterback yet but Kellen Mond was drafted into the NFL this past year.

I don’t believe Fisher is leaving College State for Baton Rouge, but if he did you could bet that they likely could get back into the hunt for Arch.