Joe Burrow could help LSU football land Arch Manning

LSU football is one of six programs reportedly still in the mix to land 2023 five-star quarterback Arch Manning.

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Ole Miss, and Texas are the other programs still vying for Manning’s commitment.

(And yes, I’m confused as to how Florida is in the mix. I bet even Gators fans are wondering why Manning is considering Gainesville.)

Manning, 6-foot-4/215 lbs from New Orleans, LA (Isidore Newman), is ranked in 247Sports’ composite rankings as the No. 1 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class.

Could Joe Burrow help LSU football land Arch Manning?

Arch Manning is going to commit somewhere in the next 10 months (unless he waits until the traditional national signing day in 2023, which seems extremely unlikely).

But while Manning’s commitment is getting close, we still don’t have a lot of insight as to what school is at the top of his list. And that’s by design — Arch doesn’t do many interviews.

That’s why I think LSU is still very much in the mix here.

The Tigers have location going for them (Arch, his dad, and his two uncles, Peyton and Eli, are all from Louisiana).

Plus they have Joe Burrow.

While LSU in 2019 and LSU is now completely different, I still think Burrow’s 2019 season and his success in the NFL can help the Tigers land Manning.

First off, there’s the Joe Brady effect. Brady was given a lot of credit for Burrow’s success. And while I’m sure he made an impact, I think we’re starting to see that maybe it was Burrow who made Brady look good. The shine has worn off Brady a bit over the last year. He was fired as the Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator this past season and now he’s working as the Buffalo Bills’ quarterbacks coach.

Burrow was just insanely talented — much like Arch — and he thrived in Baton Rouge.

Arch could do the same thing.

More importantly, I think Arch and everyone else in the country has seen how LSU fans have rallied around Burrow. I don’t think that same thing happens at Alabama the way it happens at LSU.

There’s something special about LSU. There are only a few programs in the nation that embrace former players the way LSU does. Tennessee, Oklahoma, Michigan. It’s hard to explain, but LSU has “it”.

And I think that could be attractive to Manning.

Signing with a program is about more than just 3-4 years. You’re going to be attached to that program for the rest of your life.

LSU fans would love Arch. They’d embrace him forever. Unlike any other fan base in the country.