who Peyton – At the Manning Passing Academy, Peyton Manning was asked who he’d support when Texas quarterback Arch Manning faces Tennessee in a Week 4 matchup and an SEC opener. He wouldn’t say he’d root against his alma mater, but he made clear that—when it comes to his n
When Peyton Manning stepped into the Manning Passing Academy and fielded a question about Arch Manning’s upcoming test against Tennessee, the answer came with the kind of family tension the college football calendar always seems to carry.
Arch Manning is preparing for his fourth season with the Longhorns and his second as the full-time starter, and a large orange matchup is on deck in Week 4. Tennessee is the alma mater of one of Peyton Manning’s uncles, and the game will serve as an SEC opener for both sides later in the season.
Later still, Texas will also take on Ole Miss, a program where Eli Manning previously helmed as quarterback.
At the annual academy. Peyton was asked directly who he would be cheering for in the Week 4 matchup and the SEC opener. He kept his tone largely neutral at first. saying he wouldn’t bring himself to root against Tennessee—the school he calls his university and alma mater. But once the conversation shifted to his nephew, Peyton’s message sharpened.
“I was asking one of the kids. one of the kids was asking me earlier who I was gonna go for. ” Manning said when he was asked about the pending matchup. “And I said what do you think?. And of course he said that he would go for his school over his relative. And I went ‘well you and I are different. You and I are wired differently.”.
Then, without dodging the stakes of the question, he drew a clear line between devotion and competition.
“Nothing’s more important than your family,” he continued. “But obviously it’s gonna be a huge SEC game. My dad (Arch) dealt with it when I was in college when Tennessee played Ole Miss. I love my university, my alma mater. Pull for them unconditionally. But nothing’s more important than my family. And when you have a nephew playing. I pull very hard for him every single Saturday. So that’s pretty much a no-brainer, pulling for your nephew to play well. But like I said everybody knows pretty strongly where my loyalties lie on all other Saturdays. The University of Tennessee.”.
That distinction matters—because Peyton’s support for Arch playing well doesn’t require Tennessee to lose. He also didn’t suggest he’d flip his feelings about Tennessee to match the matchup’s matchup storyline.
The sequence is what fans will remember: Peyton kept the Tennessee devotion intact, then overlaid it with a weekly, personal priority—“pull very hard” for Arch every Saturday—leaving little doubt how he intends to watch when his nephew is on the field.
For readers trying to map it to the rivalry setting at Neyland Stadium, Peyton’s own framing leaves a practical conclusion: it’s one thing to love a team “unconditionally,” and another to decide where your eyes go when your nephew is the one taking snaps.
Peyton Manning Arch Manning Tennessee Volunteers Texas Longhorns Week 4 matchup SEC opener Ole Miss Manning Passing Academy college football
Why is Peyton even involved in this lol.
I mean he went to Tennessee so I thought he’d automatically say Tennessee. But sounds like he’s defending Arch Manning? Family drama football style.
Didn’t read it all but I saw “backed Arch Manning” and “Tennessee loyalties.” So like… does that mean Peyton wants Texas to win or he just won’t be rooting against his uncle’s team? Makes zero sense to me.
Peyton’s totally gonna pick the Texas kid over Tennessee because he’s “wired different” or whatever. Also Week 4 SEC opener sounds fake because Tennessee isn’t always in the SEC opener thing? Idk but family ties + football always turns into a mess anyway.