The Tony Vitello Era Ends
By Mark Nagi
October 18, 2025, will go down in Tennessee history as Black Saturday. Not only because the Vols fell at Alabama 37-20 for the 11th straight time in Tuscaloosa. But because of something that had nothing to do with football.
A little after 2:30 p.m. that day, The Athletic reported that the San Francisco Giants were closing in on a deal to make Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello the next manager in the storied history of that franchise.
No one had ever managed in the big leagues without playing or coaching at the pro level. Vitello played his college ball at Mizzou from 2000-2002, then was an assistant coach with the Salinas Packers of the California Collegiate Summer League (2002), Missouri (2003-2010), TCU (2011-2013), Arkansas (2014-2017), and since 2018, the head coach at Tennessee.
In the days that followed, Tennessee fans refreshed Twitter at levels not seen since Schiano Sunday. Every rumor was magnified, every theory promoted, every nugget examined.
Some Tennessee fans even started fake San Francisco Giants fans’ Twitter accounts, bad-mouthing Vitello in hopes that real Giants fans would start a Schiano-style protest of their own.
Finally, on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 22, it became official. Tony Vitello was leaving Tennessee to become the 40th field manager of the San Francisco Giants.
“I’m incredibly honored and grateful for this opportunity,” said Vitello in a team press release. “I’m excited to lead this group of players and represent the San Francisco Giants. I can’t wait to get started and work to establish a culture that makes Giants faithful proud.”
“We’re thrilled to welcome Tony to the Giants family,” said San Francisco Giants President Buster Posey. “Tony is one of the brightest, most innovative, and most respected coaches in college baseball today. Throughout our search, Tony’s leadership, competitiveness, and commitment to developing players stood out. His ability to build strong, cohesive teams and his passion for the game align perfectly with the values of our organization. We look forward to the energy and direction he will bring, along with the memories to be made, as we focus on the future of Giants baseball.”
UT Athletics Director Danny White got out in front of the story, holding a press conference a couple of hours later.
“In my mind, this is not a sad day. It’s a proud day,” said White. “Congratulations to Tony. This is something that’s never been accomplished before. So, I think it’s a testament to obviously Tony, but everybody that’s ever played for him, coached for him, our fans that have supported the program.”
Vitello went 341-128 in his 8 seasons at Tennessee, including two SEC Regular Season titles and two SEC Tournament titles, 6 NCAA Regional appearances, 5 NCAA Super Regional appearances, three trips to the College World Series, and the 2024 CWS National Title. That run of success was even more remarkable when you consider that one season was cut short by the pandemic. That Vols roster had more than enough talent to capture trophies in 2020.
Plus, ten of his Tennessee players were selected in the first round of the MLB Draft, and a total of 52 of his players were taken in the draft overall during Vitello’s stay at UT.
Vitello had accomplished everything he possibly could at the collegiate level. There are only 30 of those Major League Manager jobs available, and the opportunity might never come around again.
Most Tennessee fans were supportive of Vitello’s decision. This wasn’t Lane Kiffin’s burning down the Vols’ house and pissing on the ashes in January 2010. This was a man who had given his all for Tennessee for eight years and was now going to challenge himself in the Major Leagues.
In the weeks to come, there will be a lot discussed about Vitello’s rumored strained relationship with White, and whether that played a role in his leaving. White will also need to find Vitello’s replacement. Pitching coach Frank Anderson has been named interim head coach. Fan favorite Josh Elander, the Vols’ associate head coach, is a candidate for the job.
But for now, the reality is that a successful chapter in Tennessee baseball is complete. We’ll find out if the good times get started again soon enough.
