Texas football wants to be “back,” and it is apparently willing to spend big to get there.
The program spent nearly $280,000 over a June weekend in which Arch Manning and eight other recruits visited the school, according to receipts and invoices obtained by The Athletic.
Arch, the son of Cooper Manning and nephew to Peyton Manning and Eli Manning, was the No. 2 quarterback in his class and committed to Texas in June. He had been to the campus in Austin, Texas, before, but his official visit from June 17-19 took things to a different level.
Manning, the other eight recruits and their families were treated to a stay at a five-star hotel in Austin and lavish food accommodations. The recruits also had a photoshoot at DKR Texas Memorial Stadium, a trip to Top Golf and breakfast at Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian’s house.
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Manning is one of four recruits from that visit alone who have since committed to the Longhorns. Three-star tight end Will Randle, Manning’s teammate at Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, announced his commitment on June 19.
Somehow, the school one-upped itself the following weekend. The Athletic reported that the school spent nearly $350,000 on a weekend visit from 14 recruits, 12 of whom have committed to play there.
The Longhorns put forward a commendable performance against Alabama on Saturday but were unable to beat the No. 1 team in the country. Based on their recent spending and recruiting success, they seem determined to rejoin the elite tier of college football.
