Marshall Manning’s first regular season snaps came with plenty of attention and not much time on the field.
The son of Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning made his high school debut Friday night on national television as Baylor School opened the 2026 season with a 38-20 win over Brentwood Academy. Manning is a true freshman and Baylor’s backup quarterback, and he saw a brief first-half appearance while the Red Raiders were ahead 10-3 midway through the second quarter.
On his first play, Manning rolled to his right and hit a pass that picked up eight yards. He then handed the ball off to star running back David Gabriel Georges on his second snap, and that was it for his night.
Manning had already seen more action two weeks earlier in Baylor’s preseason scrimmage against Buford, a power program from the Atlanta area, but Friday was his first regular season high school game. He also paid tribute to his father’s alma mater by wearing a white wrist bad with an orange adidas logo on it.
For now, Manning is expected to spend most of his freshman season behind Baylor starter Keegan Croucher, a four-star Ole Miss commitment who transferred to Baylor this offseason for his senior year.
Still, Manning’s name is going to draw attention if he develops into the kind of blue-chip recruit and SEC-caliber quarterback plenty of people will be watching for. And with Baylor projected to be the top high school team in Tennessee this season, there should be chances for him to see more mop-up work as the year goes on.
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Faizon Brandon also flashed the running ability that can add another layer to Tennessees offense, but the job still appears unsettled at right tackle. Ory Williams and Jesse Perry remain locked in a competition there, and it is the sort of battle that can quietly shape how smooth everything else looks once the season starts. For now, the Vols have a few encouraging signs and at least one starting-caliber decision still waiting to be made. [Read more 🡒]