There will never be a greater legacy year in sports recruiting than 2023. Two five-stars who are from families of legends in their respective sports will commit to schools that season, and the Tennessee Vols are targeting both of them.
Arch Manning, the nephew of Peyton Manning, is being targeted by Tennessee football. Bronny James, the son of NBA legend LeBron James, is being targeted by Tennessee basketball. It appears as if both have interest in UT as well.
Manning has been getting the most coverage so far. The son of Cooper Manning could obviously end up with the Ole Miss Rebels or Rocky Top given his background. However, as a five-star across the board, he could also carve out his own legacy elsewhere.
Right now, the Tennessee Vols aren’t among the frontrunners for Manning, a five-star out of Isidore Newman in New Orleans, based on On3Sports’ predictions. However, those were made in the middle of October, before UT started to generate a lot of interest with Josh Heupel.
During that time, the Georgia Bulldogs, Texas Longhorns, Clemson Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide were tied for the favorites along with Ole Miss. Since then, Texas has fallen apart, and Clemson has lost both coordinators. Combine that with the offensive reputation Heupel is building on Rocky Top, and you have to think the Vols are back in play.
In basketball, Bronny James, the son of LeBron James, is a four-star guard being heavily recruited. Coming out of Sierra Canyon High School in Chatsworth, Calif., just outside of Los Angeles, James stands between 6’2″ and 6’3″ and weighs between 170 and 190 pounds.
Shockingly, the Tennessee Vols could be in play for him as well. According to Eric Bossi of 247Sports, UT is one of multiple schools James has interest in. The others named were the Duke Blue Devils, Texas Longhorns and Ohio State Buckeyes.
Bossi also said “among others” after naming those schools, but you have to think those are the standout ones. So let’s compare them. Duke is about to lose Mike Krzyzewski to retirement. Texas so far hasn’t met expectations in Chris Beard’s first year. Ohio State would probably be the favorite among these schools, but Rick Barnes can often work his magic.
James will obviously have a great support system on where he goes, and as a four-star, he probably wants to go somewhere he can develop over a few years rather than just be a one-and-done guy. Barnes has by far the best track record at that.
Simply put, it’s an uphill battle for both, but there’s the off-chance the Tennessee Vols land both Manning and James. Recent reporting on James combined with the Manning legacy put both in play, and in 2023, they’ll both be joining a program. Why not Rocky Top? Hey, one can dream.