Peyton Manning supports Tennessee baseball in 'second home' Omaha

Tennessee baseball had a special guest in the stands during its opening game in the College World Series against Florida State. Former Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning didn’t hesitate to heap praise on UT head coach Tony Vitello when given the chance.

“What Tony Vitello has done year in and year out—winning 50 games—it’s really incredible,” Manning said. “Players want to play for him. They play hard for him, and that’s the ultimate compliment you can pay a head coach—when your players would do anything for you. That’s what he brings and obviously, we’re honored to have him here in Knoxville.”

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Tennessee is the No. 1 overall seed in the CWS. The Volunteers boast a collective 5-1 record through the regional and super-regional rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The team’s only loss came against Evansville in the Knoxville Super Regional.

In total, Tennessee has outscored its opponents 64-29 in the NCAA Tournament. While the odds favor Tennessee, history does not. A No. 1 seed has not won the CWS since Miami did so in 1999. Nonetheless, with Vitello leading the way, Manning has faith in the Volunteers.

“His work ethic is second to none,” Manning said. “He’s a relentless recruiter. But he also coaches them hard, right? I mean, it’s one thing to recruit and get them here. Now, you got to coach them and develop them, and that’s what he’s committed to.

“It’s hard to build a program now in college sports, I think. Tony Vitello really has built a program and he’ll keep that program because of his personality.”

Whether Tennessee wins or loses, Peyton Manning is happy to be in Omaha, Nebraska—a town he popularized with his famous cadence behind center.

“It’s my third time coming to Omaha,” Manning said. “It’s an incredible atmosphere. My dad actually played in the College World Series. He was a baseball player at Ole Miss. So he always talked about it when I was growing up. The people are friendly. Obviously, Omaha is kind of a second home for me.

“My son plays a huge baseball tournament here every year around this time. To watch your son play baseball in the morning and watch your alma mater play at night, I don’t know how you beat that. But, Omaha has done an incredible thing here. It is everything it has been built up to be and I’m honored to be here.”