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Peyton Manning is making a return to good ol’ rocky top for the upcoming semester, but not in a role that you’d expect.
Manning starred for the Tennessee Volunteers from 1994-97, winning the Maxwell Award as the nation’s top player in his senior year and finishing as a runner-up t0 Michigan’s Charles Woodson in the Heisman Trophy voting.
He then went on to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Manning’s been a fervent supporter of the Vols ever since he left Knoxville. But the love hasn’t always been reciprocated.
A former trainer for the Tennessee program accused Manning of sexual harassment in 2017. Then fans asked him to stop coming to games due to the “Manning Curse” which meant Tennessee lost whenever he was in attendance.
Manning seemed to lift that curse last season when the Vols knocked off Alabama.
But despite all the ups and downs, Manning still holds a space in his heart for Tennessee. And it appears the university feels the same way.
Manning is set to return to the university as part-time professor for the 2023 fall semester.
He joins the college of communications and will partner with other professors to share his “industry experience.”
Manning will partner with CCI faculty and teach a variety of topics that align with the college’s curriculum including sports reporting, video production and performance, leadership and communication, and public speaking,” a university a university press release stated.
The Hall of Fame quarterback also expressed his excitement over the opportunity.
“My time as a student in the College of Communication and Information was a foundational experience during which I learned critical skills and messaging techniques that I continue to put to use almost daily,” he stated. “I look forward to working with the college’s talented faculty and directly with students in an effort to ensure they are well prepared for their future careers.”
Something tells us there’ll be far more students taking communications courses this fall than ever before.