Peyton Manning’s son is already on the board with a growing list of college offers, even though he’s still very much in the early stages of his high school career.
Marshall Manning, 15, is spending this fall learning behind a veteran starter at the Baylor School in Chattanooga. He transferred from Denver before eighth grade and has been wearing No. 16, the same number Peyton Manning wore at Tennessee.
His role has been limited because Baylor already has a proven quarterback in senior Keegan Croucher, a four-star Ole Miss commit. Still, Marshall got his first taste of varsity football in August against Brentwood Academy, and it didn’t take long for people to notice. On his first varsity snap, he completed an eight-yard pass to junior receiver Antwaun Adams for a first down.
That play has been the one most frequently shared with recruiters, and the interest has kept building even while he remains the backup. 247Sports lists offers from No.
4 Miami and No. 5 Ohio State, along with Purdue and Missouri State.
Manning has not announced a commitment, and there is no public visit schedule.
Marshall first drew attention in an August scrimmage, when fans were already comparing his release to his father’s. The latest offers have only added to the buzz, though they haven’t changed Baylor’s depth chart. The family connections are impossible to ignore, too: Tennessee, Ole Miss and Texas are the schools people keep bringing up, even though none of them is on his current offer list.
Arch Manning talked about the attention surrounding his cousin this week and tried to keep it simple. “Marshall’s got a lot of advice,” Arch told People.
“I just wanna be the fun cousin and, you know, talk about anything else. And if he wants advice, I’ll give it to him, but I just wanna be a cousin and friends, and have fun.”
Peyton and Eli are there if Marshall wants a more formal voice in his ear. For now, though, the next step is straightforward: more snaps, not a signing day.
In Other News...
NC State's Same Collapse Is Fueling A Bigger Frustration
NC State had the kind of first half that should have put it in position to control the afternoon, only to watch Wake Forest take over after halftime and turn the game into another frustrating collapse. The Wolfpack struggled to get much going on offense, especially on the ground, and once the second half started the pressure only grew as the game slipped away from the way it had begun.
The bigger concern is how familiar this looks for a defense that has been giving up too much through the air and too many easy gains for weeks now. When an opponent can keep stressing the secondary and the offense cannot answer, the margin for error disappears fast, and NC State is left searching for a fix to a problem that seems to be getting worse rather than better. [Read more 🡒]
NC State's Second Half Problem Just Got A Lot Harder To Ignore
NC State had enough going for it early Saturday to make the evening feel manageable, with quarterback CJ Bailey settling in and completing 16 straight passes in the first half. But as the game wore on, the rhythm disappeared, and Wake Forest began to take control behind Gio Lopez, who threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns in a performance that exposed how fragile the Wolfpacks offense can look when it starts to drift.
The result was a 38-14 loss at home, the kind that forces a hard look at what went wrong and why it keeps happening. Dave Doeren and players pointed to execution problems and injuries as part of the picture, and the concern now is less about one bad night than whether NC State can find a second-half answer before the season starts to pull away from it. [Read more 🡒]
ACC Heavyweights Already Look Like A Problem For NC State
The early ACC noise around the league already has a familiar feel for NC State, with the usual heavyweights showing the kind of depth and firepower that can make a conference race difficult in a hurry. UNC opened with an 88-70 win over USC in Greensboro, leaning on Jarin Stevensons 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Virginia rolled Richmond 96-53 with five players in double figures and Duke looked sharp in a scrimmage win over Belmont, 102-62, behind Dame Sarrs 19 points.
For the Wolfpack, the part worth watching is how quickly those contenders are already sorting themselves out before league play settles in. Michael Malone had reason to point to UNCs uneven backcourt performance, and USCs shorthanded lineup offered some context for the result, but the broader picture is clear: the teams NC State has to chase are bringing size, scoring and depth right from the start, and the gaps may not be easy to close once the ACC schedule gets rolling. [Read more 🡒]
