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How Peyton Manning explained the importance of Tennessee football to Josh Heupel

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey•04/13/23•

GrantRamey

Peyton Manning
Former Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning takes a selfie while smoking a victory cigar after Tennessee beat Alabama on Oct. 15, 2022. (Carlos M. Saavedra / Getty Images)

Mike Ekeler was asked after Thursday’s Tennessee football practice about the expectations for his special teams units and how they’ve handled those expectations so far this spring. But Tennessee’s special teams coordinator went back to what head coach Josh Heupel said about expectations when it comes to the Vols. 

“Coach Heupel set it when we got here,” Ekeler said. “It’s to be the best. That’s the standard.”

And Tennessee’s special teams didn’t reach those standards last season. 

“Last year we were ranked second in the SEC,” Ekeler said. “That’s not good enough. We’ve got. The talent in that room to do it. And it’s just a matter of you’ve got to go earn it. So that’s what our focus has been, on finding those ways to just continue to push the envelope and get better and continue to teach it better, continue to drill it better. 

“Just so our guys understand the concepts. We’ve worked our tail off, but that’s our job. We’re not going to stop until we’re the best.”

Peyton Manning: ‘If the Vols lose … it hurts my soul’

The initial expectations set by Heupel, though, came from a conversation with Peyton Manning. The legendary former Tennessee quarterback made it clear when Heupel and his staff first took over in Knoxville. 

“He looked at Coach Heupel and he said man, you know, if the Colts lose, I’m alright,” Ekeler said, relaying the story. If the Broncos lose, I’m good. But if the Vols lose on Saturday, it hurts my soul. 

“A lot of people, 103,000 people every Saturday, will say the same thing. Probably a million more watching at home. So it’s important here and those guys feel that.”

The 2022 season brought back a lot of feeling to the Tennessee football program, with Heupel and his staff in Year 2 leading the Vols to an 11-win season, their first since 2001.

Up Next: Tennessee’s Orange & White Game, Saturday, 2:30 p.m. ET

Tennessee on Saturday will conclude spring practice with the Orange & White Game, scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time start at Neyland Stadium. 

Ekeler on Thursday was also asked what it means for recruits on campus this weekend to get a feel for a game day at Neyland Stadium, even if it’s just a split-squad scrimmage in April.

“It’s huge,” Ekeler said. “I mean, these guys, everybody in the country talks about Neyland Stadium. And everybody in the country is talking about games played there last year and in the past. So all the recruits, they feel that. They’ve not only been here and seen it firsthand, but they know and they want to play in that type of environment.”

Tennessee went a perfect 8-0 at home last season, the first undefeated home schedule since 2007 and one that included wins over Florida and Alabama. 

“You want to play, as a player, somewhere where it’s important,” Ekeler said. “As a coach, you want to coach somewhere where it’s important. It’s pretty damn important.”

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