Josh Heupel spent part of Friday night in Knoxville catching up with a familiar last name.
The Tennessee head coach was seen talking with Baylor School freshman quarterback Marshall Manning during the Red Raiders’ game against Knox Catholic at Covenant Health Park. Manning, the son of Tennessee legend Peyton Manning, was in town for Baylor’s 21-7 win. Tennessee running backs coach De’Rail Sims was also in the group, with Sims there to watch five-star commit David Gabriel Georges in action.
WATE’s Sam Rothman posted video of the conversation, and Manning did not appear to play in the game.
Manning’s name has already started to surface around Tennessee circles this fall. Back in August, he made his high school debut on national television when Baylor opened the 2026 season with a 38-20 win over Brentwood Academy.
That night, the true freshman and Baylor backup quarterback saw brief first-half action. He entered midway through the second quarter with Baylor ahead 10-3 and got two snaps.
On his first, Manning rolled to his right and fired an accurate pass for an eight-yard gain. On the next, he handed the ball to David Gabriel Georges.
Manning also saw extensive work two weeks earlier in Baylor’s preseason scrimmage against Buford, but the Brentwood Academy game was his first regular season high school experience. He also wore a white wristband with an orange adidas logo, a nod to his dad’s alma mater.
At 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, Manning is still unranked by 247Sports because he hasn’t logged enough playing time for an evaluation. Baylor has a habit of producing high-end talent, though, and Manning figures to get his own chances down the road.
Baylor’s win on Friday pushed the Red Raiders to 10-0, and Georges kept rolling with 247 yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries.
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