Tennessee Baseball HC Josh Elander Hires Rival Coach

The Vols coach went into rival territory and walked away with a new assistant

Jun 24, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; A Tennessee Volunteers hat and glove lay on the field after defeating the Texas A&M Aggies in the championship at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

The Tennessee Volunteers have made a late-night hire, as they have gone into rival territory to bring in a coach to be an assistant with the Tennessee Volunteers. The Vols made the choice to hire Florida Gators coach Chuck Jeroloman, per Kendall Rogers. He was recently named as the interim coach after Kevin Sullivan took a leave of absence for personal reasons. He has been an assistant coach for six seasons with the Gators, and will now be on his way to Knoxville.

Josh Elander and Jeroloman has been tied together through their time to TCU. Elander was a player at the time while the newest Vols coach was a coach.

Elander held his press conference on Monday, which is when he discussed if he would be keeping things the same.

Elander's Comments

Josh Elander fields questions from the media after he was formally introduced as Tennessee’s new baseball coach on October 27, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"I'm just really excited. I think there’s some firepower on the mound. I think we have a different bullpen than we did last year. Again, I think flame throwers are something we’ve always kind of hunted down in recruiting. Always been 100 mph arms. But when V and Frank and I and Ross went into the portal this year, we had to make some changes. We wanted just a little bit more balance. Maybe some lefty specialists, some cutter guys. Some different looks, whether it be different slots, whether it be high IVB guys, running heaters, sinkers, cutters. We just want to be harder to prepare for. On the pitching side, I’m so, so excited about the youth, the transfers. I think there’s a good balance. And the most exciting thing is, it’s up to them to figure out where they’re going to pitch. That’s not going to change. That’s always been the deal. Excited for the pitching staff. And offensively, clearly I’m biased, as always, on that side of the ball. But I really like this group. I think we’re dynamic, very athletic, and very versatile. So I think trust is going to be a big word as we move these guys around a little bit and figure out what positions work best, how do we mix that with talking to Stovall, whether it be matchups and analytics, and how we blend that in to how we attack each game. But also, too, just being real with the players. Make sure they understand, they know what’s going on, on the decision-making side, and they feel like they’re looped into the process. But, I’m just excited for this group and really excited to just get a little bit better each day, but I can’t wait to go to war with them this spring.”

He then discussed the thought of keeping things internal.

“Yeah, definitely going to lean on administration throughout this process, right? This is the first time I’ve ever done this, but my focus is to take care of the people in the building first, not worry about anything externally. I think we have some of the best people in what they do at their positions, so they need to be taken care of the right way, and that’s my main and sole focus with all the roots we have. I’m just excited because we want stability for these guys in the building.”

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