Archie Manning showed Peyton the way when it comes to family vs. the alma mater: 'It's not that hard'

Locked on SEC host Chris Gordy posed the question to Peyton Manning at the Manning Passing Academy on June 26. 

Who would the iconic Tennessee Volunteers quarterback be pulling for between his alma mater and his nephew Arch, the son of Cooper Manning and quarterback for the Texas Longhorns? 

"My dad dealt with it when I was in college when Tennessee played Ole Miss," Peyton Manning told Gordy. "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, but like I said, everybody knows pretty strongly where my loyalties lie on all other Saturdays — the University of Tennessee," he said.  

That answer should suffice, right? No. 1 Texas (3-0) meets No. 14 Tennessee (3-0) at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday in a matchup of unbeaten SEC teams, one week after the spectacle with LSU coach Lane Kiffin's return to Ole Miss. This is a different kind of reunion in the SEC.

Arch Manning wears the same No. 16 as Peyton, albeit in burnt orange and white. Archie Manning remembers that interview at The Passing Academy and did not think much of it at the time. 

"Peyton just came out and said his family, and I saw somewhere where he caught a lot of criticism about that," Archie Manning told The Sporting News. "That's just the way we are." 

Peyton is right, too. Archie dealt with that when his son was at Tennessee. That loyalty test was more difficult 30 years ago. 

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Archie Manning's test with Peyton  

Jimmy Hyams chuckles when saying he is retired. He has covered Tennessee since 1985 as a sports writer, radio host and podcaster. A Louisiana native, Hyams was inspired by Archie's rise to stardom at Ole Miss. Archie Manning played for the Rebels from 1968-70 and was an All-American quarterback in 1969.

"He became my favorite player, which is kind of blasphemy in Louisiana that your favorite player is the quarterback at Ole Miss," Hyams told SN. "I loved the way he played. I loved the story. He was not just a fantastic player, but a person." 

Hyams then had a chance to cover Peyton Manning, who chose Tennessee over Ole Miss in 1994. He remembers the fervor of that decision. This was before the proliferation of recruiting websites. 

"When Peyton went to Tennessee instead of Ole Miss, there was a revolt in the whole state of Mississippi against Archie," Hyams said. "I think he had a run-in with somebody at a gas station. There was a lot of vitriol aimed at Archie because of what Peyton did."

In an interview with SN on June 19, 2025, Peyton went into the decision. 

"It was hard," Manning said. "There were a lot of different schools I wanted to go to, but you have to pick one. It was a tough decision, but going to Tennessee was the best decision I ever made."  

Archie's loyalty test came during Peyton's junior year on Oct. 3, 1996 – when No. 9 Tennessee faced Ole Miss in a regular-season game played at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis. Hyams remembers two things Archie told him before the game. This would be Archie's only interview – and you would not be able to find him in the stadium.

"I think they actually found him," Hyams said. "He was in somebody's skybox, and he was sitting at the back of the skybox where it was really, really hard to find him." 

The Vols won 41-3, and this would not be the last time Archie would be asked that question.

"You just do it," Archie said. "It's just, 'I'm pulling for my son.' Heard the question again when the Saints played the Colts in the Super Bowl. Everybody says, 'God. this is going to be so hard for you.' No, it's not that hard."

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Peyton Manning remains Tennessee icon 

Hyams does not bother to count the Manning jerseys at a Tennessee football game. When a young adult tells him their name is Peyton, he knows the reason why. The VolShop still lists Manning's jersey as one of the "most popular" sellers. No program legend carries that kind of presence in the present day – and it is not particularly close.

For Archie, it worked out. His sons Cooper and Eli played at Ole Miss. Eli, like Peyton, was a two-time Super Bowl champion in the NFL. Archie forever looks at Peyton's time at Tennessee as a blessing.

"I think it's pretty cool," Archie said. "We have such just unbelievably great memories of our four years going to Knoxville to see Peyton play. It's a special place. I don't know if anybody loves their school any more than Peyton loves Tennessee." 

Peyton gives four scholarships every year to the university. Hyams said Peyton was the most enjoyable athlete he covered at Tennessee. Hyams remembers Peyton's mother Olivia thanking him for telling her son to slow down during interviews. 

"Peyton became a beloved figure here when he turned down the chance to be the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft and stayed for another year," Hyams said. 

Manning was the runner-up to Michigan's Charles Woodson in a still-debated Heisman Trophy race in 1997 that season. That senior season sealed a bond between the quarterback and fan-base that remains strong today.  

"I stayed all four years," Peyton said. "I had my degree in three years, could've come out as a junior and I stayed all four years. That tells you how much I loved my college experience as a student athlete." 

Hyams still marvels at the football IQ that Manning possessed – which led to the Pro Football Hall of Fame career with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos.  

"Few people that have ever played the game of college football did. Peyton was a workaholic, he knew everything that you need to do to attack a defense," Hyams said. "He was well-coached, but he also had a great recall and a great memory so that he could implement a game plan." 

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Arch Manning comes to Rocky Top 

Now listen to Tennessee coach Josh Heupel describe Texas quarterback Arch Manning ahead of Saturday's much-anticipated matchup. 

"Smart, has really good control and command of what is going on," Heupel said at this press conference Monday. "I think you can go back to the Ohio State game – his ability and his team's ability to be resilient, to keep playing the next play, to be in a situation like that and to fight back tells you about their competitive makeup."

Arch Manning has the Longhorns off to a 3-0 start – and that includes a dramatic 24-23 victory against top-ranked Ohio State on Sept. 12. Arch has remained under intense scrutiny the last two seasons, with the latest incident being when he apologized to ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe after laughing at an inappropriate AI-generated video involving Texas coach Steve Sarkisian slapping Rowe.

Hyams wonders if Peyton would have faced the same level of scrutiny had he played with social media available. 

"It's interesting," Hyams said. "So, if you had Peyton in the social spotlight like Arch is, I'm tempted to say yes because Archie Manning was so prevalent in the minds of Tennessee fans and Ole Miss fans and SEC fans."

Arch was cautious in his first press conference since the Rowe incident and did not give much when asked about the test on the field Saturday against the Vols. 

"Definitely excited to play," Arch said  Monday. "Hostile environment. SEC road game. It's what it's all about." 

Arch also confirmed the Longhorns have played "Rocky Top" during practice to prepare for that fight song – which is played profusely at Neyland Stadium. 

"Yeah, we played it a bunch today," Manning said before smiling. "It's not bad." 

Archie said he does not coach Arch, and that he enjoys the relationship with his grandson and simply enjoys watching him play. 

"I know how it's going to sound like I'm his grandfather, but he's really a sweet kid," Archie said. "He and I have a great relationship. I don't coach him. I don't bother him, but we have a great relationship. I was really proud of him. Sometimes I think it's not fair with the expectations and the criticism and everything he has to go through primarily because of what his uncles accomplished."

Archie Manning's many hats 

The dynamics are different for this Manning family reunion. Tennessee recruited Arch, but that decision came down to Georgia and Texas. There is not an outright animosity for Manning in Knoxville. 

"I don't think they felt like he should've gone to Tennessee," Hyams said. "To Tennessee fans, they were hoping they would be in the hunt for Arch."

Yet the tie-in with Peyton will be on full display Saturday on ESPN's "College GameDay." The guest picker has not been announced, but imagine Peyton being asked to answer that question once more in front of the crowd outside Neyland Stadium. Don't expect that answer to change, however.

Perhaps the question will return if Peyton's son Marshall, a freshman quarterback at the Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tenn., gets his turn at the FBS level. Archie set the precedent back in 1996.

"Archie at that time said blood is thicker than water, I'm pulling for my son," Hyams said. "Peyton said blood is thicker than water, I'm pulling for my nephew. I haven't heard a lot of angst about that with people at Tennessee. Peyton is so beloved. I think they understand. A lot of them will remember Archie pulled for Peyton when Tennessee played Ole Miss." 

This is another reunion of sorts for the royal family of quarterbacks in college and the NFL. Archie, 77, told SN he plans on coming to Saturday's game. 

"Peyton really wanted his mother and me to come to this one," Archie said. "We were planning to go. I actually tried to back out, but Olivia won't go without me, so I'm going." 

This will not be the only one circled on the calendar either. Archie said Texas' schedule also features a home matchup against No. 4 Ole Miss on Oct. 24 and a road trip to No. 10 LSU on Nov. 14. These days, Archie has a lot of hats, even if Ole Miss was the first one. 

"I'm still pulling for the Colts," Archie said. "I'm pulling for the Broncos, and I'm pulling for the Giants. I'm pulling for Tennessee – and after Saturday, I'll go back to pulling for them again. We've got a lot of teams."