Seattle Seahawks Russell Wilson will not only be the sixth youngest QB to play in the Super Bowl, but he is also playing against Peyton Manning, a quarterback he has tried to be like for most of his life.

When Wilson was a high school sophomore, he attended the Manning Passing Academy, according to Newsday. Though there were many kids there, he ended up in Manning's group.

"I liked him so much back then and I still do," he told Newsday. "The way he plays the game, he's a tremendous individual. He has great attention to detail, great leadership and has won a lot of games, I love him to death."

When Manning entered the NFL in 1998, Wilson was only 9, and he hopes to become the face of the league and to become like Manning, not only as a player but to build a strong brand like him, according to Newsday.

Wilson has always been aiming to become and play like him down the road in his career.

“I think that when you think about a quarterback and you think about all the things that go into it, his mind is just so strong," he told The Seattle Times. All the things that he does at the line of scrimmage and all that, that’s where I’m trying to get one day.”

He even remembers how detailed Manning was at the Academy.

"[I remember] how much detail he always talked about and how much of a perfectionist he is," he told Newsday. "I try to use that in my game. I've got a long ways to go, obviously, but I just try to do all the little things, and that's what he does.”

Wilson is honored to be playing against his role model, but expresses that it's a team effort, from both sides.

“To go against a guy that’s definitely going to be a Hall of Famer and one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game is a tremendous honor," he said to The Seattle Times. "At the same time, it’s not me versus him. It’s the Denver Broncos versus the Seattle Seahawks.”

As for the Seahawks making it to the Super Bowl this year, Wilson and the rest of the team, have had confidence and are proud of being able to execute their desires to play in the Super Bowl.

"It's one of those things that we believed in the beginning of the year that we could get there," he said. "We had unbelievable talent, great coaching staff, we had the pieces in order, and we just needed to go after it."

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