Tony Vitello Addresses LSU Rumors Following Season-Ending Loss
Tennessee's magical season came to an end today in Omaha earlier today at the hands of Texas, but well before the Vols landed in Omaha, Tony Vitello's name was popping up on coaching search big boards across the country.
The young head coach just led Tennessee to one of the best seasons in school history, so naturally, this is going to happen. The latest Vitello rumor centers around the team that Tennessee sent home in the Super Regionals, LSU.
Vitello is believed to be among the top names to replace Hall of Fame coach Paul Mainieri, and he addressed the topic in today's post-game press conference.
"No, I have not," Vitello said of having any discussions with LSU.
"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 added 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."
While Vitello is likely not lying about having contact with LSU at this stage, it is still possible his agent has fielded calls from the Bayou Bengals, so this will be something to continue to monitor until LSU names their guy.
The fact that Vitello's name is being mentioned for the position speaks volumes to the job he has done rebuilding the program in Tennessee, and while the allure could be there, his comments suggest he would like to see that through, and there is no doubt the Tennessee administration is doing all they can to ensure this happens.
Earlier this year, an exclusive report from Mike Wilson of the Knoxville News Sentinel, featuring exclusive quotes from Chancellor Donde Plowman, indicated Tennessee plans to make Vitello one of the highest-paid coaches in America, while fully renovating the facilities to his specifications.
"Tennessee is at a turning point, preparing to make a sizable financial commitment to its coaching staff and facilities to sustain the program’s success, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the Tennessee baseball program told Knox News. One of the sources indicated the investment could place Tennessee among the nation's biggest spenders on college baseball and make Vitello one of the highest-paid coaches in the nation."
The Big Orange faithful will continue to pay close attention to this situation in the coming days.
