For the first time in almost 30 years, a Manning wearing No. 16 will take the field in Neyland Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The difference is that Arch Manning will be wearing a darker shade of orange than his uncle, Peyton, and he will get a much different reception from the home crowd. In the days leading up to No. 1 Texas vs.
No. 14 Tennessee, there will be a lot of talk about the Manning family connections. After all, Arch's uncle is one of eight players in Vols history to have his number retired -- and it just happens to be the one that Arch himself wears. Peyton made some headlines over the summer when he admitted that his allegiance to Tennessee would be on hold for this game while he roots for his nephew's success, and Steve Sarkisian addressed the Manning of it all at his Monday press conference.
The question is whether that actually matters in 2026. It's been 29 years since Peyton walked off the field at Neyland Stadium for the final time as a player, which means an entire generation of fans grew up without watching him play in a Tennessee uniform. Then again, as anyone even tangentially associated with Tennessee football knows, the last name Manning is inexorably linked to the Vols.
How much does it mean that Arch Manning is walking into the stadium in which his uncle became a legend -- or that Peyton will be pulling for the other UT? I spoke with a pair of Tennessee fans -- Jim Zasowski (class of 1982) and Shelton Sanders (class of 2015) -- who will be in attendance on Saturday, and they shared their perspective on Arch Manning leading Texas into Knoxville. At the Manning Passing Academy in June, Peyton Manning made his allegiance for this game very clear when asked about Texas visiting Rocky Top.
Few things could get Peyton to keep his Tennessee orange in the closet on a fall Saturday, but family is one of them. "Nothing is more important than your family," he said. "My dad dealt with it when I was in college, and Tennessee played Ole Miss.
I love my university and my alma mater and pull for them unconditionally, but nothing is more important to me than my family. When you have a nephew playing, I pull very hard for him every single Saturday. "That's pretty much a no-brainer that you're pulling for your nephew to play well.
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