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Tennessee football: Peyton Manning changing his tune for Vols after Schiano debacle

By Caleb Calhoun

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 18: Two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Peyton Manning stands on the grid prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 60th Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 18, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 18: Two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Peyton Manning stands on the grid prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 60th Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 18, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images) /
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Former Tennessee football quarterback Peyton Manning was on board with the Greg Schiano hire last year. But now he’s changed his tune for the Volunteers.

Related Story: Top 5 Peyton Manning performances with Vols

It’s nice to see Peyton Manning working to promote Tennessee football again. After all, during John Currie’s attempt to hire Greg Schiano last year, he appeared to be of a different opinion than most Vols fans.

Manning spoke at Pruitt’s Coaches’ Clinic over the weekend. He even did a promo supporting Jeremy Pruitt and Phillip Fulmer, both of whom are in roles where he at least appeared to lend his support to somebody else.

So Rocky Top says welcome back to being a fan favorite again, Peyton Manning. Here’s a look at the video he did, which went up on Tennessee football’s Twitter account.

As we said, this is clearly different from what Manning was secretly pushing for last year. Kirk Herbstreit revealed in November that he was on board with the Schiano hire, against the wishes of Vols fans. And he was definitely on board with the Vols going after Dan Mullen before that, based on last month’s email leaks.

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What’s clear, then, is he was just willing to get on board with what John Currie wanted. It did not matter what was best for the program. Remember, he was part of the search committee that brought Currie in over his former coach in Phillip Fulmer all because Currie was the top choice of failed businessman Jimmy Haslam III, who owns an NFL team that just went 1-31 the past two years.

And that’s where this all stems from. Manning appeared to constantly be doing the bidding of the Haslams, which Clay Travis alluded to in this report here after everything turned to chaos. This did not make him look good. After all, Travis reported that he was buddying up to the Haslams, and he hinted that it was to try to become an NFL owner with Eli and Archie. And it was at the expense of Tennessee football.

However, after the firing of Currie and the isolation of Haslam, Manning seems to be back on board with Rocky Top. Of course, this isn’t much. Manning has nothing to lose by endorsing Pruitt and Fulmer despite all the drama. The gesture is undoubtedly fine, though, even if he’s still doing it for his own reputation.

It’s just nice to have Manning back. And his support for Pruitt and co. is very helpful. After all, the NFL legend will always be a huge part of Tennessee football. And he’s likely somebody who can still serve as a great recruiting tool.

Next: 10 toughest Vols to replace for 2018 season

As a result, having Manning around is hugely beneficial for the Vols. And he seems to realize that supporting what’s best for Tennessee football is beneficial for him. So all of Vol Nation is willing to say welcome back. It’s easy to forgive him for the unholy alliance he built with Rocky Top’s new villain. I mean, this is Peyton Manning, the greatest of all time.

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