The San Francisco Giants have reportedly zeroed in on Tennessee Vols baseball coach Tony Vitello in their search for a new manager.
Vitello, who has been the head coach at Tennessee since 2017, has no MLB/minor league experience as a player or as a coach.
If Vitello is hired by the Giants, he would be the first coach to go straight from college to a manager’s role in MLB without having previous MLB experience.
There are concerning rumblings about the relationship between Tennessee AD Dany White and Tony Vitello
Vitello is arguably the best coach Tennessee’s had in any sport since the legendary Pat Summitt was winning games at a historic pace on Rocky Top.
It goes without saying that Vols fans are hoping Vitello turns down the offer from the Giants.
One thing that could complicate the situation is the reported relationship between Vitello and Tennessee athletic director Danny White.
Longtime Vols insider Tony Basilio suggested on Monday that White and his “camp” are not among those at UT eager to keep Vitello.
“I believe Tennessee’s upper brass wants to keep him,” wrote Basilio. “This does not include Danny White, nor his team. They see Tony as an irritant who won’t play by their rules.”
Basilio, who often has Vitello on his show as a guest for lengthy segments, went on to say that Vitello isn’t thrilled with the roster situation with baseball at Tennessee.
“Before the Giants situation presented itself, Tony had been sparring with Danny White regarding the size of his fall roster,” noted Basilio. “Tony did not get what he wanted in this regard.”
Basilio went further in depth on the issues between White and Vitello on his website, which includes some rumblings about the allocation of NIL/revenue-sharing money.
Amid these rumblings from Basilio, it’s worth noting that Vitello praised White in July.
Vitello specifically said that the way White has handled things at Tennessee “relieves any conversations of what else is out there”.
“The fact that (UT AD) Danny (White) has done what he’s done with, basically, compensation, the stadium, the way he’s made everyone feel like this is truly a destination spot, it relieves any conversations of what else is out there,” said White during an interview with Fox Sports Knoxville. “We just focus on who we are, and like I said, if you’re looking for a theme, we’ve got a lot of people that are unhappy. Last year was a great year; the draft really was an exclamation point for it being a good year. I think the most guys ever [on] day one [of the] draft. But we all want better, just like the fans do. All we can do is work hard towards it, and hopefully we prove it.”
We’ll see what happens with Vitello and Tennessee. This shouldn’t drag out too much longer, as the Giants are eager to make a hire before the MLB hot stove heats up in a couple of weeks.
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This story was originally reported by A to Z Sports on Oct 20, 2025, where it first appeared in the Nashville section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
