Marshall Manning, the son of Tennessee Vols legend and Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, got caught up in an unfortunate media storyline this week.

And it’s probably just the first of many as the 2030 quarterback begins his high school career at Baylor School in Chattanooga.

Earlier this week, Baylor School head coach Erik Kimrey confirmed that Marshall, who will be a freshman this fall, will serve as the backup quarterback behind starter Keegan Croucher, a 2027 four-star recruit who is committed to Ole Miss.

“Marshall Manning is our backup quarterback this year,” said Kimrey. “He’ll be a freshman. So we’re excited about him.”

We already knew that Croucher was set to start, but Kimrey’s comments confirm that Marshall will be the top backup (which indicates that Marshall will be the starter in 2027).

Some media outlets took this news and ran the headline that Marshall has been “benched.”

I mean, what are we doing here? Marshall is going to be a high school freshman in 2026. How can he be benched when he hasn’t even played a game as a high schooler?

The fact that he’s set to start in 2027 as a sophomore at a prestigious school like Baylor speaks to his talent. But the untrue “benched” storyline makes it seem like it’s the opposite scenario.

I feel confident in saying that no other high school freshman in the country is dealing with this kind of nonsense.

There are obviously a lot of advantages that come with being Peyton’s son, but this is a reminder that there are a lot of disadvantages, too.