Josh Heupel could be at the forefront of what will be the biggest recruitment in college football history
If Josh Heupel is still the head coach of the Tennessee Vols in a few years — and there's no reason to think he won't be — he'll almost certainly be at the forefront of what will likely be the biggest recruitment story in college football history. Over the last couple of years, Heupel has […]
If Josh Heupel is still the head coach of the Tennessee Vols in a few years — and there's no reason to think he won't be — he'll almost certainly be at the forefront of what will likely be the biggest recruitment story in college football history.
Over the last couple of years, Heupel has proved to be an elite quarterback recruiter, landing two five-star quarterbacks (Nico Iamaleava in 2023 and George MacIntyre in the 2025 class) over the last three recruiting cycles. Heupel also signed 2024 four-star quarterback Jake Merklinger, who has the competitive makeup to be a star in the SEC.
Those recruitments pale in comparison to what's coming in two to three years.
Vols legend Peyton Manning's son, Marshall, will likely be one of the top quarterbacks in the 2029 recruiting class.
Manning's son, who will turn 13 later this spring, already looks like he has the Manning quarterback gene that was passed on to Peyton, Eli, and Arch (the nephew of Peyton and Eli who is entering his second year at Texas after being ranked as a five-star recruit).
It's been almost a decade since Peyton last played in the NFL and he's still one of the most recognizable figures in the sport. Between the ever-popular ManningCast on ESPN and the endless commercials, Peyton is plastered on screens as much as ever despite his retirement from the game in early 2016.
So you can imagine the hype that will surround Peyton's son when he gets to high school — especially in East Tennessee.
The Vols' football program is peaking at the right time to be a major factor in Marshall's recruitment. Five years ago, when Jeremy Pruitt was running an offense that resembled the Iowa offense, that might not have been the case. But now that Heupel, a coach who has plenty in common with Manning (Heisman runner up that came from the same era), is the head coach at Tennessee, the Vols should be at the forefront of the battle for Marshall.
The only question, of course, is does Marshall pull a Peyton and spurn his father's alma mater?
It's obviously far too early to speculate how Marshall's recruitment will play out. The Mannings, as they're known to do, will likely keep much of it close to the vest until a decision is made. But that won't stop Marshall's recruitment from becoming one of the biggest stories in college football in a few years.
And Heupel will almost certainly be one of the main characters in that story.
It may seem like it's still a long way down the road, but Marshall Manning's recruitment will be here before you know it.
And it couldn't be coming at a better time for Tennessee.
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