Denver Broncos quarterback and Tennessee alum Peyton Manning returned to his alma mater on Monday and took the time to get a workout in with some current Volunteers players.

Freshman tight end Ethan Wolf, an early enrollee from Minster, Ohio, posted this photo with Manning and his teammates after the workout on Instagram.

It had to be a real thrill to catch passes from the reigning NFL MVP.

“Never thought I'd be catching passes from my childhood idol!” Wolf wrote in the photo’s caption.

Later on, Tennessee's official site collated some great shots from Manning's workout on campus.

Theres another guy here you all will recognize that worked out with the QBs today… pic.twitter.com/I0hOZLotq8 — Vol Photos (@Vol_Photos) June 23, 2014

Manning, the 1997 Heisman Trophy runner-up, was in Knoxville for a charity golf tournament which benefits East Tennessee Children’s Hospital and Manning’s “PeyBack Foundation.” Manning was asked about the current state of the Tennessee program and voiced his confidence in head coach Butch Jones.

“I really like Butch,” Manning said, per the Associated Press. “I’m a big Butch Jones fan.”

The Volunteers went 5-7 last year in Jones’ first year in Knoxville. He brought in the No. 5 ranked class in the country for 2014 according to Rivals and that recruiting momentum has carried over into 2015. The Volunteers’ 2015 class has 18 verbal commitments and is ranked No. 7 in the country.

Consider Manning impressed with Jones’ recruiting prowess.

“I think it’s going in the right direction,” Manning said. “I think Butch had a lot of work to do when he got here. He’s put in that work. He’s signing some of his players. Every coach wants to have their players. He’s been patient. At the same time, he’s been hard-working, as he was advertised to be. He’s done that. I just see it continuing to get better. I really do.”

For more Tennessee news, visit VolQuest.com.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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