Vols head baseball coach Tony Vitello exits Rocky Top to enter MLB

For the first time in Major League Baseball history, a head coach at a championship winning college program is headed to the big leagues in just one step.

A weekend rumor was confirmed at a press conference Wednesday with University of Tennessee head baseball coach Tony Vitello agreeing to a contract to coach the San Franscisco Giants in 2026.

Vitello or the Giants will have to honor a stipulation in his contract that states an exit comes with a $3 million buyout.

That same contract that Vitello signed to make him the highest paid baseball coach in the NCAA was agreed to weeks after Tennessee earned their first baseball national title. Athletic Director Danny White says fans will be upset with Vitello’s departure but his hiring is a complement to the Tennessee program.

(IMAGE: University of Tennessee / UT Athletics)