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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