Tony Vitello takes a shot at Nick Saban ahead of 2025 baseball season

Tony Vitello took to the microphone a couple of weeks before Tennessee baseball's 2025 season started and took a shot at former Alabama head football coach Nick Saban. 

Tennessee Baseball and Vitello are preparing to defend its 2024 national championship, and it sounds like Tony V is ready for everything that comes with the title defense. 

Vitello was asked about Dean Curley getting more attention throughout the offseason after his freshman season. Tony V talked about how special Curley is as a player and facing the externalities. That's where he took a shot at Saban. 

"It's just all the externalities; it's you guys. I like you, so I won't call you rat poison or anything evil like that — they do that in other states," Vitello said in his preseason press conference. "But there are externalities there with social media and other fans knowing what you did or what you eat or what your girlfriend's name is or any of that stuff. 

And a lot of it, at the end of the day, doesn't have anything to do with the job you're trying to do between the lines. And Dean was able to do that as a freshman, and I don't see why he wouldn't be able to do it this year."

Saban is known for creating certain sayings throughout the years as Alabama's head coach. One of the more popular ones recently is "rat poison," which Saban indicated was a factor in the Crimson Tide's locker room. 

While that might have been an issue in Tuscaloosa, based on his comments, it doesn't seem like a problem for Vitello's squad  

After bringing a national championship to Knoxville, Vitello also shared what the offseason had been like for him and his assistant coaches. 

"I love this place. I love dang near everything about it. I love that Mike Keith is back here in God's country. I just want to make sure that I'm contributing in a way that I should, and I want to make sure our guys are playing in a way that Vol fans can say I'm proud of that product on the field, and I want to cheer for them," Vitello said in his preseason press conference.

Vitello has shown how much he loves Tennessee by passionately showing his support and fandom for other sports. He is routinely on the sidelines for Tennessee football and basketball games, cheering on the Vols. 

Tennessee baseball's season is only a couple of weeks away, with opening day scheduled for February 14 against Hofstra. The Vols will have eight straight home games to start the year as they look to defend their 2024 national championship.