During this time of social distancing, most college students are unable to attend classes in person. The University of Tennessee has shut down on-campus activities, reverting to online classes in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
On what was a regular day for an online class in Tennessee’s College of Communication and Information, students who were on the live stream were surprised by legendary Tennessee quarterback and graduate Peyton Manning.
Manning was a graduate of Tennessee’s school of communications, and was dropping in on his former professor John Haas’ class to send a message to students.
TFW the GOAT crashes your class. đđđ #VFLClassCrash pic.twitter.com/WkxfAoUA9G
— UT Knoxville (@UTKnoxville) March 26, 2020
“I just wanted to drop in and say hello to all the fellow communication students there,” said Manning. “I realize this is a unique time and probably not the ideal way you guys expected to spend your senior year, but I just encourage you to keep a positive attitude, keep working like youâre doing and try to take advantage of the little bit of extra time that you have to accomplish something else or help out somebody in need â a lot of people hurting out there during this time.”
The students were shocked, with a light moment at the end of the video coming when a young student chastised her professor after Manning logged off because she was not prepared with makeup for Tennessee’s most significant football legend.
It can be hard for college students to stay focused during an online lecture, but bringing in a former No. 1 overall pick that threw for over 11,000 yards during his college career will likely grab their attention. Maybe online professors across the country during this difficult time are taking notes themselves.