Tennessee Students Get a Surprise During Online Class

Peyton Manning went back to school on Thursday, surprising a University of Tennessee class assembled in an online video chat. The former Volunteers quarterback joined the remote communications class via Zoom only to be jokingly lectured by associate professor John Haas for being late, per CNN. "You know, if you were here, I'd be making you run the stadium steps," Haas told the former UT communications student and two-time Super Bowl champion. Manning apologized, saying it had been almost a quarter of a century since he'd last been in class. He then set out to rally the troops.

"I realize this is a unique time and probably not the ideal way you guys expected to spend your senior year," he told the students, who were noticeably surprised, per USA Today. "But I just encourage you to keep a positive attitude, keep working like you’re 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." And "be thankful for what you have." Once he'd logged off, the students thanked Haas for the distraction, though one was slightly alarmed. "Dr. Haas, some of us didn't even put on makeup this morning!" the woman said. "Oh my god!" (More Peyton Manning stories.)