Arch Manning puts on burnt orange and white every Saturday, a change in his family's legacy of suiting up for the Ole Miss Rebels, but his uncle, Peyton, did the same thing when he played for the Tennessee Volunteers instead of his father's, and eventually his brother's, alma mater.
However, before the youngest Manning to burst onto the college football scene committed to the Texas Longhorns, he took 24 visits to various Division I programs, making sure he found his home before making a final decision.
That included seven trips to Texas, four trips to Alabama, Georgia, and Ole Miss, two trips to Clemson, and one apiece to LSU, SMU, and Virginia. It never included visiting Peyton's old stomping grounds in Knoxville, TN.
So, as Manning and the Horns spend the next few days preparing for their first SEC matchup of the season, a road game against the Volunteers, he will also be preparing for his first-ever trip to Rocky Top, something that surprised even Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian.
Steve Sarkisian assumed Arch Manning had already been to Tennesee
"You know it's interesting, Arch and I were meeting this morning, and I had just assumed he'd been to Knoxville and been to Tennessee, [but] he's never been before," Sarkisian said in his game preview press conference on Monday. "For [Arch], I'm sure there's going to be a special in there, for the family and for him, but at the end of the day, you've got to go play."
The Manning family has already meant so much to the sport of football at all levels of the game, but this game is especially special for all of them. However, Sarkisian is also ensuring that his QB1 is ready for the moment, no matter his previous ties to the Volunteers.
Later on in the press conference, Sarkisian shared that he actually didn't believe Manning cared all that much about his uncle Peyton's history at Tennessee, and that the quarterback is more focused on playing well for his teammates than anything else.
Also read: Peyton Manning is forsaking his Tennessee legacy to root for Arch and the Horns over the Vols
When Manning himself was asked about playing at Neyland Stadium and whether he had talked to Peyton about it, he said he actually hadn't asked him all that much, and his responses were clearly more focused on the matchup itself than his family's history at the program.
"Definitely excited to play; hostile environment, SEC road game, it's what it's all about," Manning said. "Just being 'us against the world' kind of mentality."
Arch Manning says he’s never been to Knoxville before, and that he’s excited to have the opportunity to play against Tennessee. @ontexasfootball pic.twitter.com/6jxHN6DZ2f
— CJ Vogel (@CJVogel_OTF) September 21, 2026
Of course, by the time Saturday arrives and the fanfare that comes with a top-15 SEC matchup as well as everything that ESPN's College GameDay brings to town, I'm sure even we as fans won't be able to escape the conversation about the younger Manning playing at his uncle's former school.
However, for right now, Manning's head seems to be in the right place, and that's focused on football, not on any connection he has to his opponent, familial or otherwise.
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