Marshall Manning returned to the field Friday night, nearly a month after a foot injury kept him on the sideline, and the Baylor School quarterback made the most of a brief fourth-quarter appearance in a 45-17 win over Montgomery Bell Academy.
Manning, the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, entered with about nine minutes remaining for No. 12 Baylor. His first pass went to freshman receiver Jayden Cauvier, and the completion marked his official return to action.
It was the second appearance of the season for the young quarterback. He made his high school debut Aug. 20 in the Red Raiders’ 38-20 season-opening win over Brentwood Academy, playing two snaps before head coach Erik Kimrey later reported the foot injury. On his first varsity snap, Manning connected with junior receiver Antwaun Adams for 6 yards and a first down. He ran the ball on the next play, then gave way to starting quarterback and Ole Miss commit Keegan Croucher.
Manning first drew national attention when videos of him throwing during the 2025 Pro Bowl festivities went viral. The clips showed a young quarterback with a strong arm and natural ability, and they turned him into one of the most talked-about freshmen in the country before he had taken a full-time varsity snap. He is a freshman at Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and he transferred there ahead of his eighth grade year from Denver.
Against Montgomery Bell Academy, Manning again played behind Croucher, the four-star senior who has commanded Baylor’s offense. By the time Manning jogged onto the field, Baylor led 45-10 and a running clock was in effect. The plays called for him were short and high-percentage, designed to build confidence.
He completed his first pass from his own 20-yard line to Bernardo Diaz along the left sideline. Diaz turned it into a 10-yard gain and a first down. On second down, Manning was flushed to the right but found Cauvier for a short toss that became a 17-yard gain to the Baylor 47. A handoff picked up 3 yards, then Manning connected with Cauvier again along the left sideline for 9 yards and another first down.
At that point, dating back to the Brentwood Academy game, Manning’s first four passes as a high school quarterback were all completions that produced first downs. From Montgomery Bell Academy’s 40-yard line, he handed off for a 1-yard loss. An illegal procedure penalty followed, and another handoff netted just a yard. Facing fourth-and-long, Manning completed his fourth and final pass of the night, a 6-yarder to Wyatt Provonsha in the middle of the field. The Red Raiders were short of a first down and turned the ball over on downs.
Manning finished 4-of-4 for 42 yards and showed poise on the one play in which he was hurried. For the season, he is now 5-of-5 for 48 yards in his first year as a high school quarterback.
He serves as the backup to Croucher. The Red Raiders are 6-0 and will face McCallie in an all-Chattanooga battle next week.
