Peyton Manning crashes University of Tennessee virtual class and shocks students

It’s been over 20 years since Peyton Manning attended a class at the University of Tennessee. On Thursday, Manning decided it was time to go back. He dropped in on a virtual communication studies class, shocking students at his alma mater.

Manning appeared during associate professor Dr. John Haas’ class. Haas — who was in on the joke — addressed Manning as Mr. Thompson so the surprise wouldn’t be ruined early. When “Mr. Thompson” began talking, the students who just crashed their class.

Manning, 44, initially played along with Haas, saying it’s been a long time since he went to a class at Tennessee. Haas then joked about making Manning run the steps, and that’s when Manning broke character. Manning offered words of encouragement to all the students in the class, telling them to “keep a positive attitude” while the world is fighting against coronavirus. Manning also told the students to try and “help out someone in need.”

After Manning speech, the students thanked him for dropping in on the class. While some of them seemed annoyed about the whole thing, the vast majority of the students reacted like this:

That feels like an appropriate response. It’s not often a Hall of Fame quarterback decides to sit in on your college course.

Here’s hoping Manning decides to “crash” the “Monday Night Football” booth a few times next season.

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