"It was snowing": Peyton Manning once shared his "glorious" Tennessee experience during his visit as student-athlete

Retired Super Bowl champion Peyton Manning built a memorable college career during his stint with the Tennesse Volunteers. Initially, fans thought he would commit to Ole Miss where his father Archie played. But in the end, he decided to make his own destiny.

In September, Peyton Manning appeared on the "Bussin' With The Boys" podcast. There, he opened up about why he decided to play for the Tennessee Volunteers.

He talked about how he started getting recruited by other programs in high school which opened the door to several opportunities.

Peyton then stated that his first handwritten letter was from Florida State. That is when he started exploring his options. And after a positive visit to Tennessee, he decided to commit to the program.

"You're a junior in high school and you start getting recruited by other schools. I really didn't know how serious it up until I got my first handwritten letter from Bobby Bowden (former coach) from Florida State," Peyton said.

"I was like okay. I figured if he's writing me a handwritten letter telling me he's gonna recruit me maybe there are some other schools out there that are interested. And that's when I started kind of looking around opening my eyes a little bit."

"Had a great visit here to Tennessee. It was snowing, didn't get to really see the stadium in its glorious view. Met a lot of good people." (2:05 onwards)

During his four-season stint with the Vols, Peyton Manning recorded a total of 11,201 passing yards and 89 TD passes. He was inducted into the Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2017.

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Peyton Manning reveals NBA legend Michael Jordan's influence on him returning for his fourth year with the Vols

Instead of declaring for the NFL Draft after three seasons, Manning decided to return to play out his final year of college eligibility.

He talked about how his interaction with Michael Jordan influenced his decision after his father's advice to talk with several top athletes before making the leap.

"Somehow, he (Archie) helped me get some phone numbers. So I called Troy Aikman who stayed four years in college. He said he really wanted to be the first pick in the draft," Peyton said. "Drew Bledsoe left as a junior. He said he knew he knew he was going to be the first pick in the draft as a junior and was like, 'I'm ready to go.'"

"I talked to Michael Jordan, who came out as a junior. And he just said, 'Look, I thought I was ready.' And I guess I came away with it truly has to be your decision of what you really want." (1:15:30 onwards)"

Peyton Manning led the Tennesse Volunteers to an 11-2 campaign and an SEC championship in his final year of eligibility. He was then drafted as the first overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the 1998 NFL Draft.