Breaking: Tony Vitello leaving Tennessee to manage the San Francisco Giants, per sources.

By Andrew Riedell

Were you expecting bombshell college baseball news in October of all months? Multiple sources have confirmed to College Baseball Central, Tennessee Head Coach Tony Vitello will become the first head coach ever to make the jump directly from the NCAA level to MLB, as he will be hired by the San Francisco Giants with the finalization of a deal coming in the following days. The Athletic was the first one to link Vitello to the job and then the first to confirm the Giants were hiring him as well.

What They’re Saying

“He deserves any opportunity that comes his way. Everything he has done at Tennessee has helped college baseball.” Anonymous D1 Coach.

“He is the right guy for this. Sucks for the SEC but it is a compliment to the SEC and how he helped baseball as a whole.” Anonymous SEC assistant.

Who is going to be the interim head coach at Tennessee?

From my sources, the expectation is for Associate Head Coach Josh Elander to step into the interim role. The expectation is that most of the staff will stay in Knoxville, while Buster Posey and Coach Vitello will work on the staff together.

What about the players on the roster and the committed players?

Tennessee will have a 30-day portal window open for players to enter the portal, though they’d be required to sit out the entirety of the 2026 season. Consequently, the 2026 Vols roster is expected to remain largely in tact. Relationships with Elander and Pitching Coach Frank Anderson don’t hurt, either.

Tennessee could experience contention in the development of future rosters, though. Current Vol pledges will have to reconsider their commitments while heavyweight programs continue to recruit. If the Vols hand the keys to Josh Elander, as expected, his role as recruiting coordinator may prove instrumental in keeping the band together.

My Final Thoughts:

I think this is a great thing for College Baseball, with Tony Vitello getting a shot at the chance to manage at the highest level, possibly. It will be important for Tennessee fans to recognize the significance of the opportunity Vitello elected to follow, rather than focusing on his decision to leave Knoxville. With Vitello making the jump to the Major League level, this experiment may provide critical results for future generations of collegiate coaches with MLB aspirations.

Follow @RiedellAndrew and @CollegeBaseCNT as this situation develops more.