The San Francisco Giants have a new manager, and he comes from one of college baseball’s traditional powerhouses. According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the Giants are hiring Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello.
Vitello arrives in San Francisco after compiling a 341–131 record and leading Tennessee to a College World Series title in Knoxville. His jump to the pros had been rumored for days before being made official Wednesday afternoon. The move leaves the Vols with a major vacancy and positions the Giants as one of MLB’s most intriguing teams to watch in the year ahead.
Here’s a closer look at the Giants’ new manager, who is making the rare leap from the college ranks to an MLB managerial role.
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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
Who is Tony Vitello?
Vitello is one of the most successful and dynamic head coaches in college baseball, known for transforming the University of Tennessee into a national powerhouse since his hiring in 2017. A former infielder at the University of Missouri, Vitello’s coaching career includes lengthy assistant stints at his alma mater, TCU and Arkansas, where he developed a reputation as one of the nation’s elite recruiters, consistently landing top-15 signing classes.
Vitello’s tenure at Tennessee has been marked by unprecedented success. Under his leadership, the Volunteers have made three trips to the College World Series in five seasons (2021, 2023 and 2024), culminating in the program’s first NCAA national championship in 2024.
His overall record of 341-131 gives him the highest winning percentage in Tennessee baseball history and earned him the ABCA National Coach of the Year award in 2024.
OFFICIAL: It’s Tony Vitello time ✍️ pic.twitter.com/PG5pvQwLYu
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) October 22, 2025
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Tony Vitello coaching experience
After playing at the University of Missouri, Vitello began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant at his alma mater in 2003. He was soon promoted to full-time assistant coach and spent seven years with the Tigers, helping them reach the NCAA postseason each season and assembling multiple nationally ranked recruiting classes.
Vitello then moved on to assistant coaching and recruiting coordinator roles at two other national powers: TCU (2011-13) and Arkansas (2014-17). In those positions, his reputation as an elite talent evaluator grew rapidly — particularly at Arkansas, where he built the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class in 2014.
He helped mentor future MLB stars such as National Player of the Year Andrew Benintendi and Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer, solidifying his reputation for identifying and developing professional-caliber talent.
Tony Vitello playing career
Vitello’s playing career was spent as an infielder at the University of Missouri from 2000–2002, where he earned second-team All-Big 12 honors.
He has no professional playing experience.
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Tony Vitello Tennessee contract
Following his 2024 College World Series Championship, Tennessee rewarded Vitello with a record-setting contract extension. The deal, announced in August 2024, made him the highest-paid coach in college baseball.
The five-year contract with Tennessee paid him $3 million annually and runs through June 30, 2029.
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Has a college head coach ever gotten an MLB manager job before?
Hiring a coach directly from the college baseball ranks to an MLB managerial position is extremely rare — and hiring one with no prior professional experience is almost unprecedented.
While several MLB managers were once successful college coaches, nearly all spent time proving themselves in professional baseball before earning the top job.
Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy is the closest recent example. He was a highly successful college head coach at Notre Dame and Arizona State for more than two decades, but spent nearly 10 years in the San Diego Padres’ minor league system and as an MLB bench coach before being promoted to manager of the Brewers.
Vitello, by contrast, would be coming straight from Tennessee with no professional coaching experience.
