Deon Grant recalls Peyton Manning's leadership at Tennessee

Giants quarterback Eli Manning isn't the only one who will enjoy a reunion with his big brother Pyeton this Sunday in Indianapolis. Safety Deon Grant told the story today of how he was welcomed to Tennessee as a freshman by the Volunteers' senior All-American quarterback.

Grant was rooming with running back Jamal Lewis, who would go on to an NFL career, and Manning showed up with defensive lineman Leonard Little, who also enjoyed a long NFL career. "Peyton was a big-name guy already," Grant recalled. "It spoke a lot about the force of his personality and how serious he was about winning. It was college. He had no say-so about what was going on in college, but he made sure he came and talked to us and welcomed us with open arms and let me know how serious it was as far as winning at Tennessee.

"It was good. Peyton is a great guy. We still talk to this day."

Asked if he ever heard of Peyton's little brother and knew he had some potential as a quarterback, Grant smiled and added, "When we were in school, [the Manning family] used to come up. I knew about Eli before Eli was Eli."