"It was awesome to see them win it all": Peyton Manning has warm reaction to alma mater Tennessee Vols' MCWS win
Peyton Manning is arguably one of the best players to ever step foot on the gridiron. While he forged an incredible legacy with the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos, his journey began in college football, where he represented the Tennessee Volunteers.
While the Volunteers aren't quite the force they once were in college football, they have emerged as a dominant team in NCAA Baseball. Manning was all smiles when he recalled the Volunteers' historic 2024 season in a conversation with his former Colts teammate, Pat McAfee, on The Pat McAfee Show.
"That was awesome, Pat! I’ve been in Omaha the past several years, Manning said. "They always have a few baseball tournaments around the College World Series, so my son’s been playing in ‘em, so it’s pretty cool when you can watch your son play in the morning and go watch your alma mater play at night.
"And to see them win it all, Tony Vitello was voted National Coach of the Year, I saw that today. So, awesome moment for the Tennessee Volunteer family and we hope there’s many more national championships to come."
Recapping Tennessee Volunteers' historic 2024 NCAA Baseball season
The Volunteers proved they were the strongest team in NCAA Baseball this year. They won every trophy possible while scripting SEC history by becoming the first team in the conference to win 60 games in a single season.
Led by Vitello's intelligence and stars like Christian Moore and Billy Amick, the Volunteers shared the SEC regular season title with the Kentucky Wildcats. They won the SEC Tournament with a convincing win in the championship game over the LSU Tigers.
They then enjoyed a dream run in Omaha, defeating the Texas A&M Aggies 2-1 in a tight best-of-three final series to win their first-ever College World Series title. With their top stars headed to the MLB, Vitello faces a major challenge in keeping the Volunteers' winning momentum next season.