We interrupt the search for a new Florida Football coach and the excitement of Gator Basketball being around the corner to drop some good news for Florida Baseball:
Tennessee Volunteers coach Tony Vitello is reaching a finalized deal to become the manager for the San Francisco Giants.
Given the recent history of Tennessee Baseball, this is great news for Kevin O'Sullivan and company.
But then, later on Wednesday, bad news arrived as word came out that O'Sullivan was taking a leave of absence from the program.
Tennessee loses Tony Vitello to the San Francisco Giants
Tennessee was one of those programs that had minimal relevance prior to Vitello's arrival in Knoxville. Prior to 2019, Tennessee hadn't even made the NCAA Tournament since 2005, and Tennessee hadn't won the SEC regular season title since 1995.
Vitello changed all of that almost overnight, as Tennessee went from afterthought to a genuine pain in Florida's side to a program that we would dare say had surpassed Florida.
O'Sullivan was 7-16 against Vitello, including 1-5 over the past two seasons.
While Florida has dipped its toes in the transfer portal, Tennessee fully embraced it during the Vitello Era. This past season, Tennessee's transfer portal class was ranked 6th nationally, and Tennessee was ranked 3rd in 2024 when it won its first and only national title.
There are genuine question marks as to whether or not Vitello is going to work as an MLB manager. He is the first college coach in MLB history to become a manager with zero previous MLB experience. A huge factor that is going to make his MLB experience different from college is:
- Vitello is known for a high-energy style. Whether or not that holds up over 162 games is up for debate.
- Releivers tend to stay in for far longer in college than in MLB Vitello is going to need to be willing to make decisions far quicker in the pros.
- College teams often get three days' rest in a week, whereas MLB teams might get none. How will Vitello manage workloads for guys?
But these are all questions San Francisco Giants fans need to worry about. For Gator fans, all they know is that Tennessee's program just saw the only guy to ever have success in Knoxville walk right out the door.
Kevin O'Sullivan takes a leave of absence
After the news broke for Tennessee that they were losing their coach, news broke later on Wednesday that O'Sullivan would be taking a leave of absence from the program.
In a statement, O'Sullivan said:
"I appreciate the support of the University and athletic department. I have some personal and family issues that need my full attention at this time."
It is unclear how long the absence will be for, and it is notable because Florida is in the middle of fall ball.
Chuck Jeroloman is going to be in charge while O'Sullivan is out.
Scott Stricklin stated:
"Coach O'Sullivan has our full support as he takes the time he needs to focus on personal matters. We appreciate his openness in communicating this decision, and respect his need for privacy."