The TSSAA football season begins Aug. 20, and the Tennessean is wrapping up its annual preseason ranking of the state's top high school football players entering the Tennessee high school football season.
Our rankings began with the top 75 seniors in the state, followed by the top 50 juniors and top 25 sophomores.
Here are the top 10 freshmen whose rankings are determined by on-field performance, projectability in college, in-person evaluation and feedback from high school coaches.
No. 1 Marshall Manning, Baylor, 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, QB
Why chosen: Manning, who is the son of former NFL and Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning, has created buzz ever since transferring to Baylor before his eighth-grade season. Keegan Croucher, a four-star quarterback committed to Ole Miss, is Baylor’s starting QB. But
Manning will be an intriguing watch if he can get some regular-season snaps.
No. 2 Lawson Ford, Collierville, 6-foot-6, 210 pounds, TE/DL
Why chosen: Ford has eye-popping size for his age. He already has offers from Ole Miss and LSU.
No. 3 Trent Perkins, Franklin Road Academy, 6-0, 180, WR/DB
Why chosen: Perkins’ offers include Vanderbilt, Nebraska, Tulane and Memphis.
No. 4 Bryson Graham, Riverdale, 6-1, 160, QB
Why chosen: Graham looks the part with his size and he already has offers from UConn, Memphis, Howard and Murray State. He was 120-of-154 passing for 2,114 yards, 28 touchdowns and two interceptions last year against eighth-grade competition.
No. 5 John Slagle, Goodpasture, 6-0, 180, QB
Why chosen: Slagle, who has offers from Memphis and Murray State, got a taste of the varsity level last season, accounting for three TDs in two games. He also had six TDs in three junior varsity games.
No. 6 KJ Baker, Brentwood Academy, 5-9, 170, RB/DB
Why chosen: Baker, who has offers from Miami and Miami (Ohio), looks to be the Eagles’ running back of the future after Larry Sanders II graduates.
No. 7 Brandon McDonald, Battle Ground Academy, 6-2, 305, OL
Why chosen: McDonald started for BGA’s varsity as an eighth grader, helping the team win the DII-AA state title. He has offers from Eastern Kentucky and Grambling State.
No. 8 Hudson Tarpley, Richland, 6-3, 280, OL/DL
Why chosen: Tarpley’s trending the right way, with offers from Tennessee State, Miami (Ohio), Murray State and Nicholls State.
No. 9 Dominic Rocconi, Collierville, 6-1, 170, QB
Why chosen: It’s early to project most quarterbacks but Rocconi, who’s also a baseball standout, physically looks the part of a Division I recruit.
No. 10 Sutton Smith, Collierville, 6-5, 265, OL/DL
Why chosen: With his size, Smith’s on college radars already. He’s a name to watch.
Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.
He also contributes to The Tennessean's high school sports newsletter, The Bootleg. Subscribe to The Bootleg here.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Peyton Manning's son, Marshall, headlines top TSSAA football freshmen rankings for 2026
