Will Peyton fill the color analyst position at UT?
By Steve Williams
Any day now I expect to hear Mike Keith scream “SAACK!!”
And in the distance, Peyton Manning shouting “OMAHA!” just to let Mike know he was on his way to Rocky Top.
Yep, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Manning becomes Keith’s radio color analyst on the Vol Network. It may already be a done deal. UT AD Danny White could be just waiting for the perfect time to announce it.
White surprised many of us when he brought Keith back to Knoxville to replace retiring Bob Kesling as the new Voice of the Vols, didn’t he? So why not Manning as his sidekick? He may be the most beloved player in UT sports’ history.
Manning wouldn’t be just some rookie behind the mic either. He showed us throughout his playing career as a quarterback that he knows the ins and outs of the game and could break down a defense quickly with his football mind.
That’s the main difference between being the play-by-play broadcaster and the color analyst – knowing the game, quickly dissecting the plays and describing it to the listener.
Since his playing days, Peyton has been on the air a lot, so no worry about stage fright either. He and his brother Eli started accompanying the NFL’s Monday Night Football telecasts in 2021. Who’s to say they couldn’t continue that show too, with the Vols’ games usually on Saturdays.
Peyton majored in Speech Communication which prepared him for a career in broadcasting after football. He joined the UT faculty in the fall of 2023 and is still a Professor of Practice at UT’s College of Communication and Information. Among the topics he teaches is sports reporting.
Keith and Manning should also mesh well in the broadcast booth I would think. Age-wise, they are not too far apart. Mike is 57 and Peyton is 48.
Manning’s dad Archie also has served as an analyst with the New Orleans Saints’ radio and television broadcasts, and has worked as a commentator for CBS Sports’ college football broadcasts, since his days as a NFL quarterback.
So this new venture for Peyton could be right down his alley, if it isn’t already.
At the least, Manning might want to try it out for a year or two.
Bill Anderson, a former UT and NFL player, was John Ward’s color analyst on the Vol Network for 31 years, from 1968 until 1998 and their partnership was the longest-running in college football history at the time.
So there must be something special about this UT gig.
