Peyton Manning's son Marshall has a ridiculously impressive highlight reel, but he's poised to break the hearts of Tennessee fans
Peyton Manning's son Marshall hasn't played a high school football game yet, but he already looks like he's going to be an elite collegiate and pro quarterback. Marshall will be a freshman in high school this fall, and judging by his middle school highlights, it won't be long before he's one of the top recruits […]
Peyton Manning's son Marshall hasn't played a high school football game yet, but he already looks like he's going to be an elite collegiate and pro quarterback.
Marshall will be a freshman in high school this fall, and judging by his middle school highlights, it won't be long before he's one of the top recruits in the nation.
The class of 2029 quarterback's Hudl page includes plenty of highlights of Marshall leading his middle school offense. The youngster has great poise, good pocket awareness, nice touch, and the ability to run high-level football plays. I've seen quite a few middle school football games over the years and this kid doesn't look like most middle school quarterbacks. This is what a future pro looks like at age 13.
Here's a sample of what you can find on Marshall's Hudl page.
Tennessee Vols fans are obviously hoping that Marshall will land on Rocky Top in a few years and follow in his father's footsteps. And while it's certainly possible that Marshall could don the orange and white, I think it's more likely that he lands elsewhere.
As much as Peyton loves the Vols — and there's no doubt that the Hall of Famer bleeds UT orange — I do not expect him to push Marshall toward Tennessee. That's not the way Archie Manning, an Ole Miss legend, approached Peyton's recruitment. And it's not the way that (Peyton's older brother) Cooper Manning, an Ole Miss graduate, approached his son Arch's recruitment.
Peyton once said that if his dad had told him to go to Ole Miss, then he would've gone to Ole Miss.
"Had my dad told me to go to Ole Miss, I would have gone to Ole Miss," said Peyton during ESPN's 30 for 30 on the Manning family in 2013. "I'm thankful that my dad let me make my own decision."
Peyton, in fact, told his parents the night before he committed that he was going to Ole Miss. Not because he wanted to, but because he didn't want to cause any problems for the family (Peyton's mom, Olivia, also went to Ole Miss).
Archie, however, didn't let that fly.
From SI.com: On the night before he was to announce his decision, Peyton informed his family he would go to Ole Miss to avoid any problems. Archie, however, told his son to choose for himself, not the family; Peyton picked Tennessee.
I expect Peyton to take that exact same approach with Marshall (which, honestly, is refreshing — it's how it should always be in recruiting).
Maybe Marshall picks Tennessee. But maybe he doesn't. Marshall, after all, isn't from the south — he's grown up in Colorado. And he hasn't seen Tennessee truly compete for a national championship (he was born in 2011). Maybe Marshall decides that Ohio State is the best place for him. Or maybe Michigan. Maybe he ends up connecting with whoever the coach is at LSU in 2029 and becomes the first Manning to finally play for the hometown school, just 90 minutes from New Orleans. Or maybe he carries on the Ole Miss tradition.
Perhaps Marshall won't want to go to a school where he's constantly compared to his dad. And maybe Peyton won't want his kid going to Tennessee, knowing that a loss to Florida with Marshall as the starting quarterback could create tension between himself and the Volunteer fan base.
Either way, one thing is clear after watching Marshall's middle school highlights — the kid has the potential to be a really, really good quarterback. And nearly every program in the nation will be making their pitch to Marshall over the next couple of years. If you thought Arch's recruitment was attention-grabbing, you haven't seen anything yet.
