Tennessee baseball's Jordan Beck embodies 'Mike Honcho' moniker

It’s beautiful when a nickname takes on a life of its own, as that’s exactly what’s happening to Tennessee baseball outfielder Jordan Beck — also known as Mike Honcho. As Beck — I mean Honcho — accepted the nickname that his coach Tony Vitello gave him, the Volunteers outfielder is seeing NIL doors open that didn’t even have a handle prior.

According to Mike Wilson of the Knoxville News Sentinel, the Tennessee outfielder is achieving folk hero status after accepting the nickname following the Volunteers’ sweep of rival Vanderbilt. Instantly, Beck became an NIL sensation.

“More than 3,000 shirts playing off the nickname were sold in 48 hours at VolShop and Alumni Hall through Spyre Sports,” wrote Wilson. “Back Door Tavern in west Knoxville put ‘Mike Honcho drinks 4 free’ on its pylon sign Thursday among other baseball-themed messages.”

According to Beck, the timing was everything when it comes to his new-found fame.

“I think this can happen to anyone and could be anyone at any time,” Beck said. “You just have to embrace the role and accept it. You have to have fun with it.”

It all started from a moment that actually upset many Tennessee faithful. The outfielder homered on the first pitch he swung at on Friday against Vanderbilt — but that’s not where out story begins. Instead of celebrating, Beck was instead ruled out by virtue of being found of using an unapproved bat after umpires reviewed the play. They deemed the bat lacked the sticker that indicates it was tested and able to be used in the contest.

However, that’s when Vitello made the comment that turned Beck’s non-home run from just another controversial play, to one that changed the outfielder’s life.

“I don’t even know that Jordan Beck should be at the University of Tennessee,” Vitello said sarcastically during an interview with ESPN2. “He forged his transcript. He is actually a 35-year-old man named Mike Honcho. He just shows up to practice every day and he is a good kid so we put him in the lineup.”

Moreover, the reference stems from one of Beck’s favorite movies — Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Immediately, Will Watkins — the director of athlete and brand marketing at Spyre Sports — had dollar signs on his eyes.

After going through multiple hoops and consulting with Tennessee, a unique NIL opportunity for Beck was born.

“With NIL, this was a great opportunity for him,” Watkins said. “We wanted to make sure that we had an official NIL shirt out there for him so he could get paid.”

According to Watkins, the shirts are selling like hotcakes. He believes it’s just another sign that Tennessee baseball is enjoying a season for the ages.

“The fan base has fallen in love with this team and that is what makes this possible,” Watkins said. “The interaction between this fan base and this team is just a case study, I think, moving forward to show anybody that comes to campus that this is how it can be.”

Since, Jordan Beck has more than embraced the nickname — tweeting, promoting and even posting fan-made art of him relating to the nickname. He’s leaning into the moment, but whether he’s Josh Beck or Mike Honcho, the Tennessee outfielder knows it’s all about the team.

“We are the No. 1 team in the country and it gets some more going around us,” Beck. “I didn’t see why I wouldn’t embrace it.”