Peyton Manning reveals the most exciting reason why he played for the Tennessee Volunteers in college

Peyton Manning is undoubtedly one of the greatest to have ever played the game of football. His excellence in the game began right from his college days at Tennessee and it continued on the professional stage with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos.

During his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday, Manning discussed the new-look SEC and what it brings to college football. He cited his tenure at Tennessee, noting that it was fun to play for the Volunteers as a lot of people care about the game.

“It was fun to play at Tennessee; at a place where they were talking about [football] all year round,” Peyton Manning said about his time in the SEC with Tennessee.

“They're talking about the recruiting class in February, they're talking about how the spring practice is going. I love playing at a place where everyone cares about it. Right from the players, coaches and all the fans throughout the state.”

Peyton Manning was happy with the transition at Indianapolis

Peyton Manning was drafted as the first-overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts and that changed the football landscape in Indiana forever. His impact in bringing the NFL to life in the state cannot be overestimated and he is happy with the transition.

“When I went to Indianapolis to play for the Colts. That was probably the coolest thing to see the transformation there, with Indianapolis becoming this football-talented state,” Manning said.

“In 1998, when I got there, Indiana basketball was huge, car racing was huge, and to see Edgerrin James and Marvin Harrison, everybody helped turn it into a football-talented [state]. I was comparing it to my Tennessee experience where it was year-round.”

With Indianapolis offering him an atmosphere like Tennessee, Manning did wonders during his time with the Colts. He led the franchise to its first Super Bowl title in almost four decades and their first since moving to Indiana.

Manning believes there's no better passion than the SEC

The SEC boasts of the most competitive conference in college football with passionate fans and people across all programs. This is what Peyton Manning believes you can't find anywhere else.

“Everybody wants to play in a town where it's a year-round thing, there's a real passion for the fans and there's no better passion than in the Southeastern Conference and that's a fact,” Manning said.

During his time in the conference, Manning was SEC Freshman of the Year in 1994 and SEC Player of the Year in 1997. He was a two-time first-team All-SEC during his college career at Tennessee.