Curt Schilling Reportedly Interested in Tennessee HC Job After Vitello Hired by Giants

A former star Major League Baseball pitcher is reportedly interested in the now vacant Tennessee Volunteers baseball manager position.

After the San Francisco Giants announced they hired Tennessee manager Tony Vitello to become their next manager on Wednesday, ESPN's Buster Olney reported Curt Schilling is among those interested in the Volunteers' position.

Olney's report came after Tennessee athletic director Danny White discussed the baseball situation:

San Francisco's decision was a historic one, as Vitello became the first person to go directly from college head coach to MLB manager:

He earned the move to the majors with an impressive turnaround effort at Tennessee. The program's last winning record in SEC play or College World Series appearance was in 2005 when he was hired in June 2017.

While it took him a handful of years to build a foundation, the Volunteers went 257-81 overall and 99-51 in SEC play since the start of the 2021 campaign. They also won two SEC regular-season titles and tournament titles and their first national championship in program history in 2024.

That level of success caught the eye of the Giants, who decided to make history with their hire.

There is also much more of a foundation in place at Tennessee than there was when Vitello was hired, which may be one of the appealing things for Schilling or other candidates.

It would certainly be a high-profile return to baseball for Schilling, who played in the majors from 1988 through 2007 as one of the best pitchers of his generation. He suited up for the Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks and Boston Red Sox during his career.

His resume included three World Series titles, a World Series MVP and six All-Star Game selections.