Randy Moss is arguably one of the greatest wide receivers to ever play football. And he gave serious thought to joining the Vols in his collegiate career.
During a segment on ESPN, Moss shared a story about his recruitment and a visit he made to Tennessee. At the time, Peyton Manning was the quarterback at Tennessee, and Moss was on a visit for a Tennessee basketball game. Moss said that Manning “wanted me real bad,” but that Manning wasn’t on campus at the time. But Manning still found a way to see him.
Listen to the full story from Moss in the video below shared by former Vol receiver Donte Stallworth:
Peyton Manning to Randy Moss donning the beautiful orange and white in Knoxville was almost a thing and I had no clue! @Vol_Football ? pic.twitter.com/d1Cw0iqlxB
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) October 8, 2017
In February of 2016, Manning shared the same story of Moss’s recruitment, only it was from his perspective. Manning stated then that [tps_title][/tps_title]he drove back from Virginia in the middle of the night to make sure he could make his pitch to Moss.
Ultimately, Moss didn’t choose the Vols for his collegiate career. Moss signed with Notre Dame before transferring to Florida State and then eventually landing at Marshall after some legal troubles. And while at Marshall, Moss posted some eye-popping numbers in his two years there.
Marshall was a Division I-AA team in Moss’s first year with them in 1996, but they joined Division I in 1997, Moss’s second and last season with them. In only two years, Moss amassed 3,467 receiving yards and 54 touchdowns with Marshall. He averaged 20.3 yards per reception in his two seasons with the Thundering Herd.
In the NFL, Moss hauled in 15,292 receiving yards and 156 touchdowns on 982 receptions. Moss is third all-time in career receiving yards and second all-time in receiving touchdowns in the NFL.
If Moss had ultimately chosen to come to Tennessee, he would’ve been catching passes from Manning while wearing the orange and white. Vol fans can only dream about how potent that offense would’ve been.
