Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello is finalizing a deal to become the next head coach of the San Francisco Giants, according to ESPN Major League Baseball reporter Jeff Passan.
Vitello will become the first college baseball head coach to be hired as an MLB manager with no professional managing experience. The head coach had been at the helm of the Tennessee Volunteers for the past eight seasons. He led them to the 2024 national championship.
In 2025, Tennessee finished the season 46-19 overall. They were also 16-14 in Southeastern Conference play.
According to USA Today Major League Baseball writer Bob Nightengale, Vitello will make in excess of his $3 million annual contract at Tennessee. Nightengale also stated that Vitello will recieve the highest contract in MLB history for a first-year manager.
In 2025, the San Francisco Giants finished the season 81-81. They were 161-163 in two seasons under Melvin and missed the postseason for the fourth-straight year.
With Vitello heading to San Francisco, the Volunteers need a head coach to fill the vacant spot for 2026. An immediate fit for the head coach spot would be associate head coach Josh Elander.
He is also the recruiting coordinator for Tennessee. This means he has helped put together multiple elite recruiting classes that elevated the Tennessee program. The Volunteers could maintain their recruiting prowess with Elander at the helm. Elander has been on the Tennessee coaching staff since 2017, the entirety of Vitello’s tenure in Knoxville.
With baseball culture the Volunteers have built over the past eight years, it would make sense to initially look internally for the next coach. This would likely make Elander the top potential candidate to replace Vitello.
NCAA News: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: Tennessee coach Tony Vitello, left, cheers on his players in the fifth inning of an NCAA college baseball tournament super regional game against Southern Mississippi, Sunday, June 11, 2023, in Hattiesburg, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
