Peyton Manning establishes Demaryius Thomas scholarship at Georgia Tech

Peyton Manning is honoring his former Denver Broncos teammate Demaryius Thomas with the launch of a new scholarship.

Georgia Tech announced Wednesday that Manning's PeyBack Foundation, which the Hall of Famer founded with his wife Ashley, has established the Demaryius A. Thomas Scholarship Endowment at the school.

The endowment will offer full and partial academic scholarships for incoming freshmen students from Laurens County, Georgia - where Thomas was born and raised - and surrounding areas to attend Georgia Tech.

The school also announced it will recognize Demaryius Thomas Day on Aug. 8 of each year in memory of the No. 8 jersey he wore during his three seasons at Georgia Tech and the No. 88 he wore in the NFL.

"An important part of Demaryius' legacy was the way he inspired the next generation to pursue their dreams with the same perseverance and determination that defined him," Manning said in a statement. "Through this scholarship to Georgia Tech, Demaryius will have a lasting impact on deserving youth from his hometown area who can follow in his footsteps and accomplish great things in life."

Thomas passed away on Dec. 9, 2021, at the age of 33 due to a medical issue.