Peyton Manning gifts Tennessee players Vols-themed Beats by Dre headphones

As Tennessee starts to wrap up training camp, Josh Heupel’s message was about tuning out the noise. Peyton Manning them stepped in to help with that.

Manning gifted every Vols player a pair of Tennessee-themed Beats by Dre headphones. Each set included the UT logo and had checkerboards across the top.

Manning sent a video to the program sharing the news and offering a message for the year. Now that camp is coming to an end, Tennessee can now put it all on the field when games begin.

“To the 2025 Tennessee Volunteers, the work you’ve put in all year has prepared you for the season ahead,” Manning said. “Now is the time that hard work pays off. Challenge yourselves and demand nothing but the best from each other. Hope these help you tune out the noise and focus on the team. Go Vols.”

Beats put together its third annual “Beats Elite” NIL activation last week as it continues to invest in the space. Nine star athletes signed NIL deals with the company and gifted custom headphones to their teammates as part of the agreement.

Alabama WR Ryan Williams, Ohio State S Caleb Downs, Michigan QB Bryce Underwood, Georgia RB Nate Frazier, Texas LB Colin Simmons, Oregon QB Dante Moore, Florida QB DJ Lagway, Oklahoma QB John Mateer and South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers are all part of this year’s class.

Manning’s gift to the Tennessee players comes just over a week before the Vols kick off the year against Syracuse Aug. 30. As training camp starts to wrap up, the program also has its starting quarterback in place.

Appalachian State quarterback Joey Aguilar won the starting job, beating out Jake Merklinger in a competition that went through camp. He will now lead the offense this year, and Heupel said it was a strong competition. However, Aguilar was able to separate himself by showing how comfortable he was running the scheme.

“First of all, that entire room competed at a really high level,” Heupel said. “They competed the right way, too. They pushed each other in a positive way in the meeting room, out on the practice field. I think our team has great confidence in all of those guys.

“Joey, through the course of training camp each and every day, continued to grow and take steps and understand what we’re doing and comfort level. Played well in the scrimmages, had good command, and that ultimately led to the decision that we made.”