Arch Manning's Fame Nearly Cost Texas a 5-Star WR

Arch Manning's Fame Nearly Cost Texas a 5-Star WR originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

It seems like just yesterday that some of the biggest programs in college football were pushing for a 2023 five-star quarterback with the last name of Manning.

Arch Manning had one of the more mysterious recruitments, as there was rarely any intel. Many wondered if he'd play at Ole Miss like his grandpa Archie, uncle Eli and his father before his career-ending injury. Programs like Georgia and Alabama also made huge pushes, but ultimately he chose the Longhorns.

While Texas' efforts to land Manning may have played a pivotal role in helping change the trajectory of the program, it almost cost them five-star wide receiver Ryan Wingo.

The St. Louis native, who is expected to be Manning's top target this season after posting 29 catches for 472 yards and two touchdowns as a true freshman, revealed on "3rd & Longhorn" that his first visit to Texas turned him off. Wing even went as far as to say that he left, saying he would "never" go there. The reason for this? He happened to visit during Manning's official visit.

"When I first came up here, I wasn't really around the players for real," Wingo said. "You know what? I think it was Arch (Manning) OV (official visit). So, like it was everything was basically about him. Not really like I was being selfish type thing, it was more so kind like you said, disconnected from the team...not the team necessarily but everything that was going on."

Wingo, who was a 2024 recruit, expressed that the next time he visited, he was the focal point for the staff, and enjoyed his visit much more. He also said he is quite pleased with his decision now.

While there are recruiting stories like this all over, Longhorns fans likely don't want to fathom a world without the Manning-Wingo connection.

Related: Paul Finebaum Names Best Team in College Football Without Hesitation

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 23, 2025, where it first appeared.