Danny White explains why Tennessee made Frank Anderson interim head coach over Josh Elander

Tennessee coach Tony Vitello shocked the baseball world on Wednesday by officially accepting an offer from the San Francisco Giants to become their next manager. He becomes the first ever college baseball head coach to jump directly to Major League Baseball. The news confirmed previous reports Saturday that said the Giants were closing in on Vitello to replace Bob Melvin, who was let go this offseason.

Vitello took over as coach of the Vols in 2018, quickly turning them into a perennial contender during his eight seasons at the helm. Now he gets his shot in the major leagues as he’ll attempt to turn around a San Francisco team that has missed the playoffs for four straight seasons.

His departure left a massive absence at the head of one of college baseball’s premier programs. Following Vitello’s decision, Tennessee pitching coach Frank Anderson was named the program’s interim head coach for the upcoming season. Athletic Director Danny White explained the decision Wednesday afternoon.

“It was a combination of factors,” White said. “Frank’s obviously been a head coach, but probably more importantly as quick as I’d like to move I’d like Josh to focus on his candidacy. He’s kind of in the middle of all this too. Up until this morning, the entire staff didn’t know the decision that Tony was going to make.”

Both Anderson and Elander have been with program since 2018

“He’s been focused on recruiting and coaching his players,” White continued. “We have an incoming class. There’s a lot going on, and I didn’t want to throw this on him now while also maybe treating an interview as an afterthought. I want to be able to focus on the interview process.”

Anderson coached at Oklahoma State from 2004-2012, where he led the Pokes to a 329-208 record. He was fired following the 2012 season and latched on as an assistant at Houston from 2013-2017 before. He then departed for Tennessee following the 2017 season. Anderson was named the interim head coach over associate head coach Josh Elander, who received a large outcry from fans once the move was officially announced.

Elander, much like Anderson, has been with the program since the 2018 season (Vitello’s first in charge at Tennessee). Per White, the decision came down to Anderson having head coaching experience and wanting Elander to craft his candidacy for the position in the future.

Over Vitello’s eight-year tenure, the Volunteers accrued a 341-131 record and won a National Championship. Vitello leaves large shoes to fill in Knoxville, but the talented staff brought in under him should be more than up to the challenge.