Tennessee could miss out on Peyton Manning’s son Marshall because of something Vols fans don’t want to talk about
Marshall Manning, the son of Tennessee Vols legend and Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, is starting to generate some headlines due to his status as a promising football recruit. Marshall, who will be an eighth grader at The Baylor School in Chattanooga this fall, raised eyebrows earlier this summer when a clip of his middle […]
Marshall Manning, the son of Tennessee Vols legend and Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, is starting to generate some headlines due to his status as a promising football recruit.
Marshall, who will be an eighth grader at The Baylor School in Chattanooga this fall, raised eyebrows earlier this summer when a clip of his middle school highlights went viral.
Unsurprisingly, Peyton’s son already looks like a future football star.
There’s still a few years to go until Marshall will receive heavy recruiting interest (he’s a class of 2030 recruit), but it won’t be long before the youngster is the most-talked about high school player in the nation.
Tennessee is obviously going to be a team to watch in the battle for Marshall. But the more I think about Marshall playing for the Vols, the more I think it probably isn’t going to happen.
For starters, there’s the fact that Peyton will almost certainly let Marshall make his own decision. Peyton won’t be pressuring Marshall into playing at Tennessee. It’s just not the Manning way.
Peyton, though, will of course guide Marshall through the process. And I’m sure he’ll share plenty of advice. When it comes to that advice, there’s one thing about Tennessee that I think Peyton will objectively view as a negative for Marshall. And it’s something that Vols fans probably don’t want to acknowledge.
I don’t think Peyton is going to view Josh Heupel’s offense (which is inspired by the old Art Briles Baylor offense) as the best fit for Marshall.
Now, before you start yelling at your phone (or whatever you’re reading this on), just hear me out.
I don’t have any problem with Heupel’s offense — just win, baby.
But I’m not Peyton “The Sheriff” Manning, either.
Peyton is one of the smartest quarterbacks of all time. When you hear that guy talk about playing quarterback, it might as well be a foreign language to us commoners. The man has incredible insight when it comes to playing quarterback. Just true next level stuff.
Heupel’s offense, meanwhile, is known for keeping things simple. It’s not the traditional pro-style offensive style that Peyton holds close to his heart. And I think that’s going to be a roadblock for Tennessee when it comes to landing Marshall.
Marshall is likely going to speak the same quarterback language as Peyton. And I would bet that Marshall will want to play for a coach that thinks about the position the same way. Heupel, unless he overhauls his offensive system, isn’t that coach.
Ultimately, I think two things will be important to Marshall when it comes to his recruitment — comfortability around town and the offensive system.
Marshall won’t be able to fly under the radar in Knoxville like his cousin Arch does in Austin. And the offensive system that Tennessee runs doesn’t mesh with the way the Mannings see offense.
Maybe Heupel’s system evolves over the next few seasons to a more pro-style system. Or maybe Marshall decides he really wants to play for his father’s alma mater. No one knows how Marshall’s recruitment will turn out. But for now, I think there are several tough obstacles standing in the way of another Manning playing for the Vols.
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