Overview

• Excerpts from Seth Wickersham’s forthcoming biography describe then–Alabama defensive coordinator Pete Golding telling Manning on a Zoom call, “I love Sark … I hope he can stay sober.”
• Manning’s high school coach, Nelson Stewart of Isidore Newman, called Golding afterward to rebuke the remark, saying, “Pete, that’s f--ked up!”
• Golding responded, “Daddy’s on me,” with the book noting Alabama assistants affectionately referred to Nick Saban as “Daddy.”
• Sarkisian, Saban, and Golding had not offered public comment as of the excerpts’ publication, and Golding now serves as Ole Miss’ defensive coordinator.
• Manning ultimately committed to Texas after a high-profile recruitment that included Alabama and Georgia, setting the context for the book’s claims about tactics used to sway him.