Tennessee football blew it by leaving Peyton Manning off its video board

I've been reluctant to mention the visuals at Neyland Stadium because of Tennessee’s past difficulties in changing photos on its video board. But I can’t resist any longer.

How can the three prominently displayed photos on the back of the stadium scoreboard not include Peyton Manning?

The former UT All-America quarterback is only the most famous athlete in school history.

Tennessee has named a street after him. And a classroom. And a scholarship.

It also has retired his jersey.

So it’s not as though he has been ignored by his alma mater. But his absence on the scoreboard raises questions.

Any Knoxville visitor or newcomer who passes by Neyland Stadium must wonder: “Where’s Peyton’s picture?”

Many of the East Tennessee children who were named after Peyton must wonder the same thing.

So must any quarterback recruit who grew up watching Manning in the NFL.

Does UT want to be known as the school that had coach Butch Jones’ face on the scoreboard, but not Peyton Manning’s?

Jones’ photo outlasted Jones at Tennessee. He was fired in November 2017. His picture wasn’t removed until the following March — much to the consternation of the fans. Jones’ last defense at UT moved faster than that.

Tennessee's current stadium photo gallery features coach Robert Neyland and players Jason Witten and Al Wilson. Neyland’s name is on the stadium, so his photo is essential. Witten, a former UT tight end, is a surefire future NFL Hall of Famer. Wilson, a former Tennessee All-America linebacker, is the player most responsible for the Vols winning the 1998 national championship.

“I hope that eventually we get a digital board up there so we can celebrate a lot of people and a lot of things,” UT athletics director Phillip Fulmer said when Jones’ photo was eliminated from the Knoxville skyline.

Sounds promising, but renovation projects move slowly at UT. In the meantime, Tennessee needs to put Manning’s photo alongside Neyland’s.

As long as Tennessee is limited to three photos, it can add another player on a rotating basis. It’s not as though the Vols have had a shortage of great players.

But Manning has surpassed all of them.

He didn’t just win two Super Bowls.  He hosted "Saturday Night Live." He's as recognizable on television commercials as he was on the playing field. Now he has his own show on ESPN.

Manning never downplays his allegiance to UT. It’s almost impossible not to connect the two. The connection can’t hurt recruiting.

If you become a starting quarterback at Tennessee, you will get to know Manning. You might even get his cellphone number. How cool is that to a teenager who probably has childhood memories of Manning as a player.

Manning was still playing in the NFL as recently as 2015. He might not have beaten Father Time as soundly as Tom Brady has, but his pro career spanned 18 years if you include the season in which he was sidelined by a neck injury.

The least Tennessee can do is put his photo atop Neyland Stadium.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.