Vols' Vitello Reportedly Not Among Finalists for LSU Vacancy
Tennessee fans have clamored for Danny White to retain Tony Vitello for months on end, and while Tennessee Athletics has certainly made it clear that they are bought into what Vitello is building in Knoxville, rumors have swirled about Vitello and the LSU Head Coaching vacancy.
The job in Baton Rouge is widely considered the top baseball job in the nation, so it would be easy to see why both parties could have mutual interest, but it appears Tennessee fans can breathe a sigh of relief for the time being.
"The LSU baseball coach search is down to three finalists – Arizona coach Jay Johnson, East Carolina coach Cliff Godwin and a previously unnamed candidate, Notre Dame coach Link Jarrett — multiple sources have told the Lafayette Daily Advertiser," Glen Guilbeau reports.
Vitello addressed the hot topic in the final press conference of the 2021 season following yesterday's season-ending loss in Omaha, and he made it clear his focus was on the guys in Knoxville.
"I just made an idiot out of myself, at least for all the masculine folks watching, by getting teary-eyed about these kids, and that's where my focus has been,” Vitello said during the press conference. "Like I said, the social life hasn't been existent for quite some time, well before our Opening Day game, and a part of that is I want to do as good of a job as I can for the school that gave me a chance, and I want to do as good of a job I can for a group that we thought could go pretty far. And then, you know, the way the season evolved like I said, these emotions are certainly not fake. I don't know if it's embarrassing or not, but it's coming from a place where that's my no. 1 concern, is these guys."
Multiple sources have indicated to VR2 on SI that Tennessee's plan is to make Vitello one of, if not, the highest-paid coaches in America.
Contract talks have been on the back burner as the Vols continued a magical run to Omaha, but it is undoubtedly at the top of Danny White's checklist now with the season coming to an end.