Tony Vitello turns down major job offers to stay on Rocky Top
Tony Vitello has had some great soundbites over the years as the head coach of Tennessee baseball. He's been on Rocky Top for seven seasons and just brought the Vols their first national championship in program history while winning four SEC titles along the way.
He's collected a career 295–112 (.725) record as Tennessee's head coach on his way to winning his first national title. Vitello's insanely quick rise to the top has attracted interest from other programs, who want to hire him as their next head coach.
D1 Baseball's Kendall Rogers shared on X/Twitter that Texas A&M threw the bank at Vitello to bring him to College Station, hoping he can replicate his success in Aggieland.
"It shot its shot," Rogers said, "but TV stayed put and loyal to a program that has given him the keys to the castle."
Vitello and the Vols faced Texas A&M in the College World Series Finals. After losing game one, the Vols won two straight games to win the series, including a stress-inducing 6-5 win in game three.
Rogers also mentioned that Vitello's connections at A&M doesn't make it a surprise that they shot their shot at one of the premiere coaches in the nation. He also notes that his situation at Tennessee is likely what any coach would want in a program.
Big money and a big program would attract many coaches, but Tony V has built something special in Knoxville, and he isn't ready to leave. He also celebrated Tennessee's national championship on the streets of Knoxville with an elite "Vol or not" quote, cementing his future on Rocky Top.
“You’re either a Vol or not through thick and thin.”
— Vol Report (@AllVolReport) June 30, 2024
It got reported today that Tony Vitello turned down the Texas A&M job despite being offered a ton of $$$ pic.twitter.com/Xts4MRb8Xd
Channel TN's Austin B also mentioned Texas offering Vitello. This would have happened during the College World Series, in a similar timeline to A&M's Schlossnagle. No amount of oil money could sway Vitello from leaving Tennessee during or after the history title run.
This isn't the first time major college baseball programs have gone after Vitello. In 2021, LSU offered Tony V to head the baseball program in Baton Rouge. He wasn't interested in leaving Tennessee then and isn't interested in leaving now.