Sam Hunt Picks a Side in Super Bowl 50 Face-Off

"Break Up In A Small Town" singer Sam Hunt knows exactly who he'll be rooting for during the big game.

Written by Lauren Laffer
Sam Hunt Picks a Side in Super Bowl 50 Face-Off

This year’s Super Bowl is bound to be a big one. Not only is it the 50th year of the event, but it will also match up  veteran quarterback Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos against relative newcomer Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers.

“Break Up In A Small Town” singer (and former University of Alabama Birmingham quarterback) Sam Hunt knows exactly who he’ll be rooting for during the big game.

“I’m a big Peyton Manning fan, and I always have been,” Hunt said. “But I have a good friend that I played ball with in college; he’s playing with the Panthers, and their season’s been unbelievable. Just to watch the energy of that team grow throughout the year made it hard not to pull for ‘em, but I guess when it comes down to it, I’m gonna have to go with Peyton, because it could be his last go at it. He deserves it more than anybody. He’s one of the best that’s ever played.”

The Georgia native’s loyalties to the player go back to when he was still in school. “When I was in high school, I went to a camp called the Manning Academy, and it’s a quarterback camp down in Louisiana. And I got to spend some time with Peyton and Eli, and they have another brother [Cooper]. I’ve followed [Peyton’s] career for a long time,” he explained.

Hunt also had a run in with the football legend when he attended a Kenny Chesney concert as a guest of Jake Owen’s. “Actually, a couple of years ago, I was at a concert of Kenny Chesney’s in Denver, and I was standing there side stage and Jake Owen was there. He had opened up for [Kenny], and I’ve been a friend of his for a little while, and he turned and introduced me to the guy behind us, who I wasn’t aware of at the time, but it turned out to be Peyton Manning. He was just a really nice guy, and it was just pretty cool to be on the stage with two people who inspired me in two different arenas, with Peyton with football and Kenny with music.”

The GRAMMY nominee will also take part in the Super Bowl festivities. He is set to headline the Super Bowl 50 Tailgate Party with Seal. Both will have televised performances prior to the game as part of CBS’ pre-game coverage on The Super Bowl Today.

The Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos will face off on Feb. 7 at Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco, CA.