Imagine the task of mentoring a high-profile athlete from a renowned family. This was the experience for Isidore Newman School head coach Nelson Stewart as he guided quarterback Arch Manning through his high school years and the college recruitment process.
A chapter from ESPN NFL writer Seth Wickersham’s forthcoming book, *American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback*, published Friday by ESPN.com, highlights the pressures and challenges Stewart navigated during this period. Arch Manning, whose football talent became apparent in fifth grade, made an impression on coaches and his own family. During a pre-freshman year scrimmage, Arch changed a play and threw an accurate deep pass. In response to this moment in the stands, Cooper Manning’s longtime friend Richard Montgomery said, “S!” Cooper replied with a look that said “here we go.”
In Arch’s sophomore year, Cooper Manning met with Stewart to outline expectations for what he described as “a 1975 recruitment.” According to Cooper: “I want you to run point,” (…) “Very old-school.” (…) “No offers,” Cooper said. When Stewart asked what that meant, Cooper clarified: “No offers. No talking to the media if we can.”
Despite these efforts for privacy, public attention mounted as college coaches increased their interest. Lane Kiffin made headlines by posting an unauthorized selfie from Stewart’s desk—a sign of how intense Arch’s recruitment had become.
The Manning family’s involvement extended beyond just Cooper. As reported in Wickersham’s excerpt: “Grandpa Archie seemed more engaged with his grandson’s recruitment than he had been with his own kids’, often leaving Stewart long voice memos.” Uncle Peyton Manning played his part as well by sending videos of drills for Stewart to use with Arch and discussing game strategies over phone calls after games. Wickersham recounts some of these exchanges:
“Peyton Manning: ‘What happened on that 3rd-and-8?’
Stewart: ‘Thought we’d get man so I called Four Verts, but they bailed to Cover 4 late.’
Peyton: (pause) ‘Ok.'”
As college recruiting intensified, many top Southeastern Conference coaches contacted or visited Stewart hoping to meet Arch. Coaches even adjusted their schedules—such as joining playground duty at Newman’s preschool—hoping for face time with both coach and player. For example:
“Visiting coaches learned his schedule. Tuesdays at 10 a.m., Stewart’s job was to watch Newman’s pre-K kids on the playground where Arch had once played. College coaches, with nothing better to do, pitched in. Pete Golding…pushed kids on swings…Bill O’Brien…Nobody minded; they were with Stewart…(Steve Sarkisian) showed Arch the play sheet from Alabama’s national championship over Ohio State when he was a Crimson Tide assistant…”
Inside jokes and pranks among recruiters added another layer of complexity:
“One day Golding took a photo of his dip cup on Nelson’s desk and texted it to Sarkisian…On another day, Sarkisian pranked Kiffin by saying he’d spoken with Arch at least one hundred times…”
According to Wickersham’s reporting, neither Stewart nor the Mannings complained about these challenges and maintained professional conduct throughout the process. Shortly before committing to Texas in June 2022, Arch called Stewart expressing gratitude: “Coach,” Arch said, “I just want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me and how you’ve handled it.”
Balancing multiple roles—as teacher of five classes, football coach, adviser, and unofficial manager—Stewart managed significant demands while guiding one of football’s most sought-after recruits.
