Peyton Manning returning to UT as professor

Former Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning is joining his alma mater’s journalism school as a professor of practice this fall.

Manning will join faculty for select classes and partner to teach some curriculum “including sports reporting, video production and performance, leadership and communication and public speaking,” according to a release.

Manning, 47, retired in 2016 after 18 seasons in the NFL that included five MVPs and two Super Bowls with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos.

“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,” Manning said in a release. “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.”

Manning graduated from Tennessee in 1998 with a degree in speech communication and in 2020 founded Omaha Productions, a company that’s produced a variety of content. It includes the ManningCast alternate broadcast of “Monday Night Football,” “Peyton’s Places” on ESPN+ and most recently, partnered with NFL Films and Netflix to produce “Quarterback,” a reality show that chronicled a season in the life of Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins and Marcus Mariota. Omaha Productions also provides internships to Tennessee students.

“There is no other ambassador for our college and university like Peyton Manning, and we are proud to welcome him to the college’s faculty,” Joseph Mazer, dean of Tennessee’s College of Communication and Information, said in a release. “Peyton is a true Volunteer, and I look forward to our students gaining invaluable knowledge from him as we continue to prepare the next generation of communication and information leaders.”

Required reading

(Photo: Megan Briggs / Getty Images)