It feels like LSU football is fading in its pursuit of Arch Manning

LSU football‘s biggest 2023 recruiting target is undoubtedly five-star quarterback Arch Manning.

Of course, that’s not much of a surprise — Manning is likely the most coveted 2023 recruit for every program in the nation.

Only a few programs have a legitimate shot to land the highly touted quarterback.

Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ole Miss, Texas, and LSU appear to be the six programs that are in serious contention for Manning.

And of those programs, it might be LSU that’s bringing up the rear.

Is LSU football falling behind in the race for Arch Manning?

It certainly doesn’t help that LSU had a tough 2020 season and is struggling to start the 2021 season.

The 2019 offense intrigued Manning. And if former Tigers passing game coordinator Joe Brady would’ve been a long-term fixture in Baton Rouge, it’s possible that LSU would be the team to beat right now.

Brady, however, probably won’t be returning to the college game. LSU, though, is trying to recreate the magic of the 2019 season. The goal in hiring Jake Peetz and DJ Mangas to run the offense this season was to return to the Joe Brady style of offense (Peetz and Mangas worked with Brady last year with the Carolina Panthers).

So far, that hasn’t been the case.

As a result, it feels like Manning is focusing on other programs.

The talented quarterback recently discussed his planned visits this fall with 247Sports.

And as of now, he doesn’t have a visit to Baton Rouge planned (instead, he’s visiting Georgia, Alabama, Clemson, Texas, Ole Miss, and possibly Tulane, which is located in his hometown of New Orleans).

It’s a bit surprising that Manning didn’t mention LSU as a place he’ll visit this fall, though he acknowledged that he’s still speaking with the Tigers.

The poor offensive play this season, combined with the uncertainty surrounding Ed Orgeron’s future, has likely scared Manning away from LSU (at least for now).

The good news is that Manning isn’t planning to make a decision until next summer at the earliest, which means the Tigers still have some time to make a move in his recruitment.

If LSU’s offense can find its groove under Peetz, then it’s possible that LSU’s proximity to New Orleans could get the Tigers back among the leaders in the race for Manning.