Arch Manning had plenty to say after watching his younger cousin make his varsity debut, but one line stood out from the rest.
When asked Wednesday about Marshall Manning’s first high school action for Baylor School in Chattanooga, Arch praised the freshman quarterback’s new setting. Then his eyes drifted to the player in the backfield who looked impossible to ignore.
“They have a really good running back; he looks yoked," Arch said. "What are they feeding these guys?"
That running back was David Gabriel Georges, and the reaction makes sense. The Baylor senior is a five-star prospect in the Class of 2027, a Tennessee commit since July, and one of the top running backs in the country. He chose the Volunteers over Ohio State and Ole Miss and ranks among the top 25 players nationally.
Georges made a strong case for all of that billing in Baylor’s nationally televised opener against Brentwood Academy. He finished with roughly 250 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns in a 38-20 win, doing most of the damage after halftime. Defenders had a tough time getting him down, and when they did get hands on him, it was usually a matter of respectable tackle attempts or the occasional business decision.
Marshall Manning, the 15-year-old son of Peyton Manning, got into the game briefly in the second quarter and completed his first varsity pass before turning around and handing off to Georges. He sits behind senior Keegan Croucher, an Ole Miss commit, which gives Baylor’s quarterback room a recruiting profile all its own.
Still, on this night, Georges was the name that jumped out. Even with a Manning debut in the spotlight, the Tennessee pledge managed to steal some of it for himself - and even catch the attention of Arch Manning, a few hundred miles away in Austin.
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Texas Finally Gets A Real Jonah Williams Decision In Camp
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What stands out in camp is not just that Williams is healthy enough to go, but that he looks more physical and more versatile than he did before the latest setback. He is competing for playing time while also helping on special teams, which gives him multiple ways to stay in the picture as the Longhorns sort out their back end. For a player whose development has been interrupted so many times, simply getting a real decision point in camp is a significant step. [Read more 🡒]
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At the heart of it is Muschamps preference for man and match coverages, a blend that gives defenders the leverage of zone without giving up the urgency of man-to-man principles. The idea is to keep routes from getting easy answers, and his time at Georgia offered plenty of examples of how that can work when corners, safeties and linebackers stay disciplined within the structure. For Texas, the question is how quickly that style can become muscle memory. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Backfield Battle Is Getting Much More Interesting
Texas spent the offseason trying to give its rushing attack a different look, and the additions of Hollywood Brown from NC State and Raleek Brown from Arizona State are a big part of that effort. Steve Sarkisian has made it clear both backs are expected to matter, which immediately gives the Longhorns a more layered option in the backfield as they get ready to open the season.
The appeal is in how the two fit together, not just in how much they might carry the ball. Sarkisian has signaled that their styles should complement each other, which makes the early stages of this competition worth watching as Texas prepares to face Texas State on Sept. 5. If the plan works, the Longhorns could end up with a rotation that looks a lot more dynamic than the one they finished with last year. [Read more 🡒]