It’s finally game week for Tennessee football. Before the Vols head to Atlanta to play Syracuse on Saturday in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the team got a visit from one of the greatest to play the game. Peyton Manning, Tennessee’s legendary quarterback from the late 1990s, stopped by campus.
While it is unclear if there was one exact reason Manning made the trip, he did seemingly check off a few things on his list. In a post from Tennessee football’s X account, he made sure to stop by to talk to head coach Josh Heupel and get a look at practice. Pictured with Manning on the practice field is his former Vols head coach, Phillip Fulmer, and his former offensive coordinator, David Cutcliffe.
Legends on Rocky Top. ⛰️
Thanks for taking the time to stop by!#GBO🍊 pic.twitter.com/rDokiRFVSD
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) August 27, 2025
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Manning also spent some time with the new ‘Voice of the Vols’, Mike Keith. Manning will be the first guest on the ‘Mike Keith Show’, airing at 3 p.m. on the Tennessee Athletics YouTube channel.
“Our first guest is a Hall of Fame quarterback turned professor-media mogul-beloved national treasure who played for Tennessee,” Keith posted on his X.
ESPN’s Chris Low also posted that Manning was in attendance for a ceremony for a gate at Neyland Stadium being named after recently retired Danny Burnley. He was an assistant ticket manager who helped with players’ families.
His plaque reads as such:
“Danny Burnley’s journey with Tennessee Athletics is lifelong. Though, he officially started on campus as a student in the fall of 1974, not long after setting foot on campus, Burnley summoned his passion for service as he began volunteering as a student manager for the Tennessee football team. By 1980, he was the head manager for Coach Johnny Majors. By 1983, Burnley traded football practice for ticket stock as he joined the Tennessee ticket office, serving as the assistant ticket director to Gus Manning. In his early years of ticketing, Burnley continued to exhibit his volunteer spirit, doing a little bit of everything. It was Manning that taught Burnley his most important business lesson: ‘You always need to have four tickets in your back pocket, ready for emergency!’ In 1985, Burnley was promoted to manage all ticket operations at the player family gate. Handling himself with patience, humor and class, Burnley helped thousands of Tennessee football famliies make their way into Neyland Stadium. He remained a fixture for all Volunteer families, until his retirement in 2024. There is no denying Danny Burnley never missed a home game. The University of Tennessee, Peyton and Ashley Manning and Tennessee Athletics recognize and honor the career and accomplishments of Danny Burnley.”
