Tony Vitello lefts the national championship trophy (Eric Sorenson)

History made: Tennessee’s Vitello college baseball’s first three million dollar man

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Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello, fresh off a national title this past June, is now the highest-paid coach in college baseball after agreeing to a contract extension with the Vols that extends his contract through the 2029 season and calls for him to make $3 million annually. 

Vitello is college baseball’s first three-million-dollar man, eclipsing Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin, who previously was the highest-paid coach in the sport.

Vitello’s massive salary increase comes on the heels of history for the Volunteers. The Vols have won 50 or more games three of the last four seasons and reached the mountain top earlier this year with a national title series win over Texas A&M. The Vols finished the season with a 60-13 overall record.

The 45-year-old and D1Baseball National Coach of the Year winner is getting a massive pay raise with his new contract. Vitello was slated to start making around $1.8 million annually. However, after winning the national title and fending off overtures from Texas A&M, Vitello’s salary has increased by $1.2 million.

Vitello is well worth that massive salary increase. In addition to turning the Volunteers into a perennial power in our sport, he has also transformed the program’s culture. When Vitello arrived, the Vols hadn’t reached the NCAA tournament since 2005. Additionally, fan support, as you might imagine, was rather sparse.

Now? The Volunteers have one of college baseball’s most passionate fan bases, and the demand for tickets and premium seating is so high in Knoxville that the program is undergoing a $98.5 million renovation projection for Lindsey Nelson Stadium. That renovation project was expected to be finished by the 2025 campaign but will now be completed by ’26 due to some unforeseen circumstances.

As for Vitello, his new salary isn’t the only great thing about his contract. In addition to receiving a $200,000 bonus for winning the national title in 2024, he also receives a $250,000 signing bonus. As for buyout details for Vitello, he would owe the Volunteers $4 million if he were to leave before next July, he would owe $3 million in 2026, $2 million in ’27, $1 million in ’28 and that buyout number would drop all the way to $400,000 the final year of his contract. Interestingly, Vitello’s buyout would be slashed in half should Danny White not be Tennessee’s athletic director.

“Tony and his staff have developed the country’s top baseball program, and we are excited to announce this long-term extension to keep Tony on Rocky Top,” Tennessee athletic director Danny White said in the release. “As an athletics department, we aim to lead the way in college sports, and Tony has created a baseball program that sets the standard across the entire sport. The on-field results in the nation’s best conference is unmatched, and the enthusiasm he has brought to Vol Nation has been incredible to witness.”

Tennessee assistants Frank Anderson and Josh Elander will receive salary boosts as well. At the same time, the Vols made waves earlier this summer by plucking away Houston top assistant and recruiting coordinator Ross Kivett to be the Vols’ third assistant. Kivett, of course, is wildly popular in Knoxville from his previous stint as an assistant within the program.

Overall, Vitello’s deal dwarfs anything else in college baseball. We mentioned Corbin earlier. Jim Schlossnagle, who had a drama-filled move from Texas A&M to Texas this past summer, will make an average of $2.2 million annually over seven years. He will make $2.68 million annually after the first two years. His salary will be $1 million for the first two years.

One thing is for sure with all of this news, the salary scales in college baseball continue to grow. It wasn’t too long ago that we were surprised to see a coach making a cool million a year. Then, it was $1.5, then $2, and now, $3 million annually is the highest bar in the sport. It’s college baseball’s coaching mountain top, and Vitello, now a national champion, sits all alone on the throne.

It was a historic day for Vitello, Tennessee, and Division I Baseball.