Peyton Manning details his final two choices, the day he picked Tennessee over Florida

Heading into day one of the Manning Passing Academy, less than 24 hours removed from No. 1 overall 2023 recruit Arch Manning’s commitment to Texas, NFL legend Peyton Manning told reporters what the final days of his recruitment were like in the mid-1990s.

Like Arch, Peyton Manning was a heavily sought-after quarterback prospect coming out of Isidore Newman High in New Orleans. Ole Miss fans were dying to nab the legacy recruit, but ultimately, the decision came down to Florida and Tennessee.

“I shared with Arch last week that I took a visit to Tennessee, then I had one more visit left to go to Florida,” Manning said. “I really liked Tennessee, but I really liked Florida too. So I kind of went into that Florida visit, it was kind of between those two it felt like. Got back from Florida and I just said, ‘I think Tennessee is the place for me.’”

Peyton Manning chose Tennessee over Florida after visits

Manning shared the deliberation it took before he felt comfortable announcing. He took a day off of school, holed up in a Hilton hotel, and continued thinking about his decision. He announced the next day at a bar.

“Tuesday morning at Tabby’s sports bar I announced I was going to Tennessee,” Manning continued. “I don’t know that it was the right thing for a 17-, 18-year-old to do but the Hilton manager was a good friend of my dad’s, Paul Buckley. So that’s how that went down. But yeah, I went through the process. I like these kids that visit different places and go see, get to meet people, you never know who you might end up working with down the road. But I remember what a good feeling was once I finally made that decision, and I’m sure Arch has that same feeling.”

The decision to attend Tennessee put Peyton Manning on the path to star for the Vols as a true freshman. He’d eventually win five NFL MVP awards and two Super Bowl rings. However, at the time, he was worried about disappointing Rebels fans.

“I had the feeling if I went to Ole Miss, I’d be an instant celebrity without doing anything,” Manning told the Knoxville-News Sentinel in 1994. “No matter what I would have done, I’d never have been as good as the people in Mississippi think I am. I may have hurt some people, but by no means was I trying to hurt anyone.”