All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee football: Five reasons Vol fans can stomach Arch Manning to Texas

By Caleb Calhoun

Quarterback Arch Manning (16) throws a pass as Newman takes on Lafayette Christian Academy in the LHSAA Division III semifinals on Nov. 24, 2021.Arch Manning
Quarterback Arch Manning (16) throws a pass as Newman takes on Lafayette Christian Academy in the LHSAA Division III semifinals on Nov. 24, 2021.Arch Manning /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
Tennessee freshman quarterback Peyton Manning talks with a coach on the sideline during a break in the action against Vanderbilt. Tennessee shattered one national record, three school records and earned a probable Gator Bowl bid in its 65-0 win over Vanderbilt at Dudley Field in Nashville on Nov. 26, 1994.94then11 071
Tennessee freshman quarterback Peyton Manning talks with a coach on the sideline during a break in the action against Vanderbilt. Tennessee shattered one national record, three school records and earned a probable Gator Bowl bid in its 65-0 win over Vanderbilt at Dudley Field in Nashville on Nov. 26, 1994.94then11 071 /

4. By choosing Texas, Arch Manning took the Peyton Manning route.

Beyond not being a legacy player, the only reason Arch Manning would be considered somewhat of one is because Peyton Manning chose to break the legacy tradition by choosing Tennessee football in the first place back in 1994. Phillip Fulmer pulled off the biggest recruiting coup in history when he landed Manning at the time.

Remember, Manning’s father, Archie, was the biggest name in Ole Miss history as a player, and his older brother, Cooper Manning, had already enrolled there. Recruiting him wasn’t supposed to even be an issue. He was automatically going to choose to go to Ole Miss.

Well, Manning obviously didn’t do that. He chose to carve out a legacy of his own by heading to Rocky Top, and he actually went through the recruiting process by looking at schools across the country. Over a quarter-century later, his nephew is doing the same thing.

If, as a Vol fan, you can’t appreciate a quarterback wanting to chart his own path and not consistently be in somebody else’s shadow, you have to appreciate Arch Manning. There’s a reason Eli Manning is always in a shadow. He followed his father to Ole Miss before following Peyton to the pros. Arch Manning won’t have that problem.

Home/Vols Football