Peyton Manning reflects on whether NIL would have changed his college decision

One of the best quarterbacks in football history, Peyton Manning's career might have looked differently if NIL opportunties were available as they are in this era college football.

Manning was widely considered as the top overall recruit in the class of 1994 when coming out of Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans, Louisiana.

His father, Archie Manning, was an All-American at Ole Miss and a former No. 2 overall NFL Draft pick to the New Orleans Saints. Archie Manning's acclaimed college and NFL career only added to the hype around his son as a high school prospect.

Peyton Manning, despite his father's connection to Ole Miss, elected to attend Tennessee. He went on to play all four years for the Volunteers, finishing 39-6 as a starter with multiple SEC and national awards to his name, before going No. 1 overall in the 1998 draft.

It's become a rarity for a highly-touted college quarterback to remain at the program he signed with for his entire career like that of Manning. The transfer portal is an enticing option for today's quarterbacks, who can demand millions of dollars in NIL deals on a yearly basis.

However, Manning believes today's athletes should be patient and called his four-year career at Tennessee the best decision he has ever made.

"When I got recruited, I took five official visits and several unofficial visits," Manning said via Sporting News. "It was hard. 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."

"Heck, I stayed all four years," he continued. "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." 

The Manning name will be in the spotlight once again this upcoming season, as Arch Manning, Peyton's nephew, begins his first season as the full-time starter Texas.

Like his uncles – including former Ole Miss and NFL passer Eli Manning – Arch Manning is seemingly taking a similar path in sticking with the program that signed him as a recruit.

Manning backed up Quinn Ewers for the last two seasons and enters the 2025 season as a redshirt sophomore.

The former five-star recruit, with just two starts under his belt, holds the highest NIL valuation in the country at $6.8 million. Manning could have made around that figure to transfer.

"The fact that this will be Arch's third year in that system, he'll have great knowledge of the system – still hasn't had on-the-field game reps as I'm sure he would have liked, but those will come this year," Peyton Manning said. "There will be things for him to learn, but I'm proud of him for his commitment and I'm looking forward to watching him play."