Tony Vitello Leaving Tennessee To Become Manager Of San Francisco Giants
Image: Tennessee Athletics
By Aidan Sidoti
Well, shit.
An absolute nuke to the program.
Tony Vitello is headed to the big leagues, as first reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Jeff Passan.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported Saturday that “the Giants are closing in on hiring” Vitello as their next manager, marking a landmark move from college baseball to the majors. Once finalized, Vitello is set to become the first active college head coach to leap straight into an MLB managerial role without prior professional experience.
The move sends shockwaves through college baseball and leaves a massive void in a program that just won its first national championship just last year.
Since taking over in 2017, Vitello has masterminded one of the most remarkable turnarounds in baseball. In seven seasons, he compiled a 341-131 record, reached five Super Regionals, made three College World Series appearances, and won the national championship in 2024.
Now, he’s headed west to take over a Giants team and reunites with former Vols outfielder Drew Gilbert, who was traded to San Francisco this summer and made his MLB debut shortly after.
The timing couldn’t be worse.
Fall ball is underway, Tennessee holds the No. 3 recruiting class for 2026 and No. 2 for 2027, and with Vitello gone, a wave of decommitments is likely. The Vols were built for another deep run in 2026, now, everything is uncertain.
