Director of Athletics Danny White made it clear during his Wednesday press conference that he believed that Tennessee baseball head coach is one of the best jobs in the country and that the Vols would be able to attract strong candidates.
Time will tell how attractive the job is to top college coaches during an odd timing October opening. But one uncharacteristic candidate has thrown his hat into the ring. Former World Series Champion starting pitcher Curt Schilling expressed his interest in the job on X (Twitter) Wednesday night. ESPN’s Buster Olney first reported that Schilling is interested but Schilling quote tweeted the post.
“Very interested. What an incredible program to potentially be apart of,” Schilling posted.
The former MLB All-Star added a number of thoughts on the job in other posts on X (Twitter) Wednesday night. Schilling shared that he currently lives outside of Nashville.
“They’ve already established a legacy, now the job is to keep winning College WS, keep turning out good men who love, respect the game, and who go out in the world and make a difference while wearing that ‘T'” Schilling posted.
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Schilling played 20 years in Major League Baseball including nine with the Philadelphia Phillies and four with the Boston Red Sox. The right-handed pitcher was apart of the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks World Series teams as well as the 2004 and 2007 Boston Red Sox World Series teams.
The Anchorage, Alaska native was a six-time All-Star and finished runner up for the Cy Young Award three different times (2001, 02 and 04). As a pitcher, Schilling was known for his toughness. He pitched on a torn ankle tendon that made his ankle bleed and create a noticeably bloody sock during the 2004 ALCS.
Since his playing days ended following the 2007 season, Schilling has been an outspoken in political issues and topics including a stint working for Breibart News— a right-wing news organization. Tennessee hiring a former player with no coaching experience was already unlikely on the surface but his past political involvement makes it all the less likely.
White said that Tennessee will conduct a nationwide search to find its new head coach while Josh Elander would be an in-house candidate. Due to the unique timing of the opening and next months’ signing period, White needs to move relatively quickly in hiring a new head coach.
