ESPN set to air Manning Family Football Spotlight Oct. 22
The recruitment of New Orleans (La.) Isidore Newman quarterback Arch Manning has reached a fever pitch in recent months, and ESPN is joining the fray.
The network announced Tuesday morning that it is airing a Manning family marathon Friday on ESPNU. The slate will run ahead of Newman’s nationally televised game with Berkley (Calif.) Prep that night. The Manning Family Football Showcase, as it’s been dubbed, will feature an entire day of screen time dedicated to football’s “First Family.”
That includes: two games from Eli Manning’s days as quarterback at Ole Miss and four games of Peyton’s at Tennessee. The day will conclude with the game between Berkley Prep and Arch’s Newman School squad.
Along with the games, both past and present, ESPN will also air the SEC Storied film “The Book of Manning.” The mini-documentary features interviews with Archie, his wife Olivia, and the couple’s three sons: Peyton, Eli and Cooper.
Arch Manning is the No. 1 player in 2023
Arch, the latest in the line of Manning quarterbacks, is the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2023 On100 rankings. He’s considered a top-two prospect in the class by all four major recruiting services. He’s being courted by some of college football’s elite programs and has a tentative top-five list of Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ole Miss and Texas. He visited the Longhorns last weekend and will be at Ole Miss this week for his uncle Eli’s jersey retirement ceremony.
Texas, though, has made a major impression. His relationship with head coach Steve Sarkisian is arguably the strongest of any he’s built. The Longhorns’ first-year head coach also visited Louisiana to watch Manning play last Thursday.
The full schedule for Friday’s marathon can be found is below:
| Date | Time (ET) | Programming | Network |
| Fri, Oct 22 | 3:30 a.m. | 1997: Tennessee vs. Arkansas Peyton throws for 264 yards and three touchdowns | ESPNU |
| 5:30 a.m. | 1997: Tennessee vs. Alabama Peyton throws for 308 yards and three touchdowns | ESPNU | |
| 7:30 a.m. | 2001: Arkansas vs. Ole Miss Eli throws for 312 yards and six touchdowns | ESPNU | |
| 10:30 a.m. | 1997: SEC Championship: Auburn vs. Tennessee Peyton throws for 373 yards and four touchdowns | ESPNU | |
| 12:30 p.m. | 2002: Mainstay Independence Day Bowl: Nebraska vs. Ole Miss Eli throws for 313 yards and a touchdown | ESPNU | |
| 2:30 p.m. | 1997: Citrus Bowl: Northwestern vs. Tennessee Peyton throws for 408 yards and four touchdowns, runs for a touchdown | ESPNU | |
| 4:30 p.m. | SEC Storied: Book of Manning | ESPNU | |
| 9 p.m. | GEICO ESPN High School Football Kickoff Berkley Prep vs. Newman School | ESPNU |