Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello is leaving Knoxville to become the manager of the San Francisco Giants. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Pete Thamel.
Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello is finalizing a deal to become the next manager of the San Francisco Giants, sources tell me and @jeffpassan. Vitello, 47, will be the first ever to jump from college coach to MLB manager without any professional experience. pic.twitter.com/A43z7x8ScP
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 22, 2025
The deal will make Vitello the first coach in history to make the jump from college to Major League Baseball with no professional experience. Vitello, 47, has been the head coach at Tennessee since 2018.
Vitello won a national championship for the Vols in 2024 and has been one of the best coaches in college baseball since he took over in Knoxville, developing ten first round draft picks, 52 draft picks overall, and making five straight super regionals.
