Vols Baseball Coach Shuts Down NIL Narratives [Video]

Tennessee head baseball coach Tony Vitello has built the Vols into one of the most feared programs in all of the country. His team is gearing up for another trip to Omaha after dispatching Evansville in the Super Regional over the weekend.

While the success is noted, how he got to this point is still up for debate in the eyes of many. Is coaching to be credited, or did he simply buy his most recent rosters with boatloads of NIL money?

Vitello took over the program in 2018 with Tennessee fresh off a 27-25 campaign where they won just seven conference games. He experienced a near-immediate turnaround in Knoxville.

The Vols have won at least 40 games in all but one season, with his debut campaign being the only outlier. That includes three 50-win outputs, one of which came in 2024.

At 55-12, Tennessee booked its ticket to the College World Series with a win …