Eli Manning’s latest Places adventure might be his most Alabama-esque detour yet. And it’s bringing some serious NFL star power along for the ride. The former Giants QB has built his ESPN series on uncovering football’s quirkiest traditions, but his latest stop hits particularly close to home for one current Broncos signal-caller. When Manning’s production crew rolled into Auburn this week, they didn’t just come for the southern hospitality. They came for a tradition that turns victory into toilet paper art. There’s something poetic about Manning exploring this particular piece of college football lore. After all, his career intersected with the heyday of SEC quarterbacks, and he’s never been shy about appreciating the next generation.

Remember when he joked about Bo Nix’s playmaking during a ManningCast appearance? Meanwhile, Nix, who’s been soaking up NFL knowledge since being drafted, has long admired Manning’s approach to the game. The QB once told SEC Network the two-time Super Bowl champ “just had that clutch gene you can’t teach.” Now, in a fun twist of fate, these two QBs from different eras are sharing a uniquely Auburn moment. Eli Manning has taken his Places crew everywhere from Lambeau’s tundra to Texas’s Friday night lights. But nothing prepared him for his latest challenge: mastering Auburn’s toilet paper tornado tradition.

As the ESPN cameras rolled at Toomer’s Corner this week, hundreds of Tigers fans witnessed something even wilder than the usual post-victory chaos. Broncos QB Bo Nix schooling the Giants legend on the sacred art of TP tossing. For Nix, it was a surreal role reversal. Three years ago, he was still rewinding Manning’s old Giants tapes as a college QB. Now here he stood in 2025, teaching the two-time Super Bowl MVP how to perfect an Auburn tradition he’d last performed as a Tiger in 2021. Time hadn’t dulled Nix’s TP-tossing skills. The QB’s throws still found the branches with that same easy flick of the wrist that once celebrated wins over Alabama and LSU.

Bo Nix joins Manning for a wild world record

What started as a fun ESPN segment turned into something far bigger. The Auburn family just toilet-papered its way into the record books. That sea of 7,125 swirling rolls at Toomer’s Corner wasn’t just another celebration. It was history in the making, with Eli Manning and Bo Nix leading the charge. The two-time Super Bowl champ couldn’t hide his amazement as the crowd transformed the iconic oaks into a snowstorm of TP under the blistering 91-degree sun. “This is special,” Manning told the roaring crowd, especially the freshmen experiencing their first roll. “It’ll be a great day.“

The energy was electric. Cheerleaders rallied the crowd, Aubie the Tiger worked the sidelines, and even Nova the golden eagle made a cameo. Nix, looking every bit the proud alum, helped newcomers master the wrist-flick technique. His wife Izzy captured the chaos on Instagram. Her posts said it all: a video of Manning grinning under a shower of streamers (“Fun day in Auburn!”), a snap of the TP-blanketed trees, and a cheeky clip of the frenzy captioned simply with a checkmark and toilet paper emoji – Guinness officialdom sealed with a laugh.

History professor Keith Hebert made it official, reading Governor Ivey’s plaque to deafening cheers: “In accordance with all available records, these individuals achieved what was previously undone.” For Hebert – an Auburn lifer – the moment hit deep. “You’re not just in the events, you’re a part of them.” And as the last streamer fluttered down, Manning summed up the magic best, “One of the great traditions in college football… just the first of many.“

For Nix, it was a homecoming with bragging rights. For Manning, another Places gem. And for Auburn? Proof that some traditions don’t just endure – they make history.