Alabama didn’t hold back in its attempt to land Arch Manning. Then-Crimson Tide defensive coordinator Pete Golding referenced Texas coach Steve Sarkisian’s battles with alcoholism in an attempt to send the prodigy to Tuscaloosa over Austin, as detailed in the upcoming book, “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback” by Seth Wickersham.

"Daddy's on me." Arch Manning's recruitment got so intense that, per @SethWickersham, an Alabama assistant said he "hoped [Steve Sarkisian] can stay sober" on a Zoom call with Arch, Cooper, and Arch's high-school coach. With "Daddy" being Nick Saban. pic.twitter.com/Y4KwbqYwae

A new book detailing Arch Manning's recruitment reveals that Alabama tried to use Steve Sarkisian's sobriety to knock Texas.

An upcoming book has detailed how Alabama tried convincing star quarterback Arch Manning to snub Texas in 2023.

At 70-some-odd years old during the recruitment of Arch Manning, Nick Saban was certainly past the age of dropping to his knees to beg for a player. Seth Wickersham says he played it coy. “He didn’t want to appear to want Arch,” Wickersham said of Saban. “He kind of wanted his presence to be enough.”

Former Alabama coach Nick Saban wanted to sign Texas quarterback Arch Manning, according to football insider and bestselling author Seth Wickersham.

In the fiercely competitive world of college football recruiting, programs often go to great lengths to secure top talent. However, recent revelations have shed light on the extrem

This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cooper Manning Thought Arch’s Best Fit for College Might Have Been an ACC School. In less that two weeks, Arch Manning is set to make his debut as starting quarterback of the Texas Longhorns.

Texas tops the preseason Top 25 with Arch Manning, but Georgia, Alabama, and Ohio State are close, putting pressure on the Longhorns to prove they belong.

If anyone can understand the heft of being a Manning, it’s Arch’s siblings — fiercely loyal, wickedly funny and always there to support him.

With the Manning family keeping everything so close to the vest, programs were left scrambling to try and make him feel like their school was best for Arch. There were several heavy hitters involved here. That included the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Ole Miss Rebels (his father's alma mater), and the Texas Longhorns.