Tennessee baseball is hiring Keegan Knoll as strength coach

Tennessee coach Josh Elander did not waste time replacing Quentin Eberhardt as the program’s strength coach. Tennessee is hiring Keegan Knoll to take over the role and join the staff in Knoxville, sources confirmed to Volquest on Friday.

Knoll spent the 2025 season as an assistant strength coach with the Milwaukee Brewers. The 34-year-old spent seven seasons with the Chicago Cubs – crossing over with Eberhardt for a brief period of time – and was promoted to Major League strength coach in 2022 for the organization.   

Prior to spending seven seasons with the Cubs, Knoll spent four years as the assistant strength and conditioning coach at Long Beach State and also interned with University of Illinois at Chicago in 2013. Knoll attended Illinois from 2008-2012 where he worked S&C with both men and women’s basketball.

Eberhardt, who is following former Tennessee skipper Tony Vitello to San Francisco, was hired on Vitello’s first staff and was with the program from 2018-2021. He returned to the position in July of 2022 after spending one season as the head strength and conditioning coach for the Chicago Cubs. Eberhardt is considered one of the top strength coaches in the college realm.

Under his guidance, Tennessee made serious gains in the weight room and on the field. The Vols won the program’s first ever national championship in 2024 and have played in four-straight super regionals with Eberhardt on the staff. Tennessee recorded 131 home runs in 2025, which ranked second in the country and marked the fourth consecutive season it has hit 100 or more long balls.

Eberhardt has plenty of professional experience. Along with working for the Cubs, Eberhardt spent four seasons as the head strength and conditioning coach for the New Orleans Baby Cakes, the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. He also spent time with the Rome Braves (2013), the Quad City River Bandits (2012), the Corpus Christi Hooks (2011) and the Gulf Coast League Astros (2010).

Prior to his coaching career, Eberhardt played college baseball for Norfolk State, Columbus State Community College and Ashland University.