Off the court, Manning isn’t just a good teammate he also just might be the most interesting player in the program with his outspoken personality on social media and the numerous hobbies he’s consistently finding time for away from the practice facility.

In many ways Manning’s value to the program goes beyond what he can provide in the box score and it’s thanks to his family for making him much more than just a gifted athlete.

Renaissance man

Many college athletes operate their social media accounts like business pages, but not Manning. If you’re a TCU fan active on X, formerly known as Twitter, you’ve likely seen a few posts from Manning end up in your feed.

From commentary on the rap feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake to threads on Michael Jordan and the NBA of the past, Manning has a take on just about anything. It’s possible for him to do that because he’s just as hungry to learn new things as he is to grab an offensive rebound.

“Lately I’ve been getting into film, looking at them and analyzing what goes on behind the scenes,” Manning said. “I like chess, I like Twitter as a platform, people see me on there a lot. I’ve also been getting into reading lately.”

Manning majors in journalism with a minor in critical race and ethnic studies and plans to take poetry and philosophy classes. Like any parent, the Mannings would’ve been proud of just about anything he did, but the fact that he became such a cerebral young man was even more special to a family that has put a heavy emphasis on academics.

“One of my things me and my wife (Johnnjalyn) fostered was that we wanted him and our two younger ones to be renaissance men and women,” Dr. Manning said. “He played saxophone and piano growing up, he really enjoyed reading and did really well in school. Even his approach to the game is super cerebral. He’s kind of our brainiac, he has a broad range of skills.”

Brainiac is an appropriate title for Manning. After staring at Mansfield Legacy, Manning had a number of suitors pursuing him in the Ivy League.

“It was an amazing experience, I had a chance to take an official visit to Columbia,” Manning said. “I think it showed me that even though I’m at a high major school right now and the focus may be on athletics, I still need to focus on those channels within myself where I continue to work academically.”

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