College GameDay Reveals Surprising Guest Picker For Texas-Tennessee Matchup

All eyes were on Peyton Manning as he waited for ESPN to reveal the College GameDay guest picker with Arch Manning and Texas going to Tennessee this weekend.

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All eyes were on whether Peyton Manning would be on set alongside ESPN and College GameDay as his nephew takes the field against his alma mater, but it looks like the network went in another direction.

We won’t get a Manning outside Neyland Stadium, but another very familiar face will appear on Saturday morning as Jackass star Johnny Knoxville has been announced as the guest picker for this weekend as Texas pays a visit to Tennessee.

Knoxville Returns to Knoxville

Knoxville native and daredevil Johnny Knoxville will be joining College GameDay this Saturday for Texas at Tennessee, announced just now on the @PatMcAfeeShow! pic.twitter.com/SHu0IzX4xe

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 24, 2026

The name alone makes sense, given the site of this week’s game, but Knoxville also attended high school in the area in the late 1980s before going on to have a very successful stunt and acting career in Jackass and several major films.

Knoxville will be on hand next to the College GameDay boys to offer his predictions for what will be a very active weekend of college football games, as a dozen teams featured in the AP poll will be on the field against each other, including a record-setting four such games that will kick off in the SEC alone.

Manning Returns to Rocky Top

It was a Manning who made his name at Neyland back in the 1990s, and now another Manning seeks to fortify his own legend in this stadium, but for the other side.

Arch and Texas come into Rocky Top as the No. 1 team in college football, a ranking they earned a couple weeks ago by knocking off then top-ranked Ohio State in a legendary 20-point comeback effort. Now they head into a tough SEC opener on the road.

How Has Arch Looked So Far?

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The Longhorns’ quarterback has had his entire career viewed under a microscope since emerging as the top overall recruit a couple years ago, and especially since becoming the starter to begin the 2025 season.

Manning’s initial impression left plenty to be desired, but he dramatically improved his output over the course of his first year as QB1, leading Texas to wins against ranked Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, and undefeated rival Texas A&M.

This time out, Manning is a 62 percent passer with 7 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, but hasn’t thrown for over 200 yards in two games and was just 16 of 32 last time out to beat UTSA. He’ll need to do better than that against an inspired Volunteer defense.

Tennessee has not been tested quite as thoroughly, although it did pull away from Georgia Tech on the road recently, and boasts a potential star at quarterback in Faizon Brandon, in tandem with a cadre of very promising offensive skill players.