KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — One person among the tens of thousands who will pack Ohio State's stadium on Saturday is a man who is very familiar with both storied football programs.
It's 1996 in Orlando, Florida and the Tennessee Vols are going head-to-head with Ohio State in the Citrus Bowl. David Cutcliffe, then University of Tennessee assistant football coach, remembered the game like it was yesterday.
"There is a lot of pressure, we were starting a sophomore quarterback who was a pretty fair player in his own right," Cutcliffe said.
That quarterback, turned NFL great, Peyton Manning went on to lead the Vols to a 20-14 win over the Buckeyes. Nearly 30 years later, Tennessee and Ohio State, among the 12 best in the nation, will once again clash on the field in the College Football Playoff.
"Now we were playing in Florida, not Columbus, Ohio in winter," he said. "I'm going to the game and I'm going to wear a coat, believe me!"
Cutcliffe said he stays up to date on the Vols and has even caught some practices. As for the team's performance this year leading to the playoffs, he tipped his hat to Heupel's coaching.
"I have been a fan of Coach Heupel's ever since I coached against him as a quarterback in a bowl game and I didn't want to see him again as a player," Cutcliffe recalled. "I loved seeing him as a coach."
This time around, Cutcliffe will be warming a seat in the Shoe as Tennessee takes on Ohio State for the second time. For 19 years, this Alabama grad was a fixture on the Vols sidelines and practice field, coaching teams to winning seasons and bowl games.
But after scoring a championship win in '98, Ole Miss lured Cutcliffe from Knoxville to Oxford where he recruited another great quarterback, Eli Manning.
In 2004, Rebels leadership fired Cutcliffe after his only losing season. A health scare thereafter forced him to sit out a few years. In 2006, he made a short but successful return to UT as an assistant.
The next year, Cutcliffe made a comeback as the Duke Blue Devils head coach, reviving the fledging program. After a 13-year run, the two parted ways in 2021.
Not ready for retirement, he tackled a new opportunity with the Southeastern Conference.
"I'm a special assistance to the commissioner for football relations, whatever that means, but what got me was that term, relations," Cutcliffe said.
Instead of the mastermind on the sidelines drawing up the plays, Cutcliffe is now more of a life coach connecting with players, coaches and staffers.
"Sports is the greatest relationship business of them all," he said. "Relations is short for relationships, so I go to all 16 schools. I think I have a real feel for what players are going through, certainly what coaches are going through, and my job is to be there for them."
Cutcliffe listens and offers advice to anyone who needs it.
"My mother always told me don't choose places, David, choose people," Cutcliffe said.
After a 40-plus-year football career spanning the Southeast, this father, grandfather, and coach said he will forever be rooted in Big Orange country. The moments and memories carry him back to his time on Rocky Top.
"I've gone in there before and gone up to the very top and the Vols sign and just looked," he said. "It's fun to remember."
Now, this consummate coach is ready to make more memories on Dec. 21.
"Go Vols! Let's win a big one," he said.
Cutcliffe shares his thoughts on the new name, image and likeness policy in college sports and breaks down the three things Tennessee needs to do on the field to win. You can watch that full interview on WBIR+ or below on YouTube.
