Like the rest of Vol nation, Peyton Manning is thoroughly enjoying Tennessee football’s resurgence in the college football world. Manning went to four games last season, proudly discussed the Vols on the MNF Manningcast and is even serving as a professor at Tennessee’s College of Communication and Information this fall.
Manning’s enjoyment of the 2022 season has quickly turned to excitement for the 2023 season. Like everyone else who follows Tennessee football, Manning’s eyes are on starting quarterback Joe Milton III entering the season.
The Tennessee legend worked with Milton at the Manning Passing Academy earlier in the summer and stopped by Knoxville with his son Marshall last month where they visited with Milton and others in the Volunteer program.
So what is one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history seeing out of Tennessee’s starting quarterback entering the 2023 season?
“I was impressed with his accuracy, his footwork,” Manning said of Milton on The Nation Sunday night. “You can tell he’s worked on those things, right? I think he wants to be more than just a guy that can throw it so far down the field which is great but you have to be able to complete those intermediate throws, touch passes over the middle. I think Joe has really worked on that and I think that’s going to show up this year for sure. I’m excited about him.”
Manning also warns not to overlook the advantages Milton has entering the 2023 season as the Vols’ definitive starter after shining in the Orange Bowl.
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The five-time NFL MVP shared that the confidence gained from a strong bowl performance combined with the unwavering support of the coaching staff can go a long way, especially for a quarterback that’s faced failure at the college level.
“He’s been through a lot. He’s transferred,” Manning said. “He’s been different places but having a full spring and full summer under his belt where he is going to be the starter, I know what a bowl win can do for a quarterback’s confidence. For me, as a freshman in an alternating quarterback season my freshman year, to go down there and have a bowl win— to be able to build on that all offseason, I know Joe is going to feed off that win in the Orange Bowl and I think it’s going to carry him a long way this season.”
Tennessee enters the 2023 season ranked 12th nationally in the AP Poll and 10th nationally in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The AP Poll ranking in the Vols’ highest preseason ranking since 2016.
Like the rest of Vol nation, Manning is excited to see how Josh Heupel and Tennessee follow up their breakout 2022 season.
“I’m very excited, just like everybody else,” Manning said. “All my friends, lot of my old teammates, we talk, and I made four games last year including the bowl game so that was fun. There’s a reason you want to come back for more. Obviously when the team is fun to watch there’s a lot of momentum, a lot of energy and a lot of your friends and teammates are coming to all these games where maybe before it hasn’t been as exciting to come to because we weren’t winning on a consistent basis. But there’s a lot of enthusiasm. I can see it around the building.”
