Big football weekends aren’t just significant recruiting weekends for the football program, but significant recruiting weekends for a multitude of programs on campus. That’s the case for both Rick Barnes and the men’s basketball program as well as Kim Caldwell and the women’s basketball program this weekend.
But Tony Vitello and Tennessee baseball may take the cake for the biggest recruiting weekend of them all. In fact, Vitello said he’s never been apart of a recruiting weekend as strong as this one.
“It’s going to be like herding All-Americans,” Vitello said on Sports Talk 99.1 Thursday morning. “This will be the most official visits we’ve ever had at one time. The most I’ve ever had, ever coaching. So definitely the quantity is there. And then as far as the quality, since I can’t say names, I’m comfortable in saying this, there’s probably at least three guys we are definitely wasting our time (with). They’re going to be first rounders or second rounders in the draft.”
One of the challenges of baseball recruiting is balancing going after top players but also players that you can get to campus. A year ago, Tennessee lost three prep commits to the MLB Draft with shortstops Steele Hall and Billy Carlson as well as LHP Kruz Schoolcraft signing professionally after going in the first round of the draft.
But Tennessee did get a pair of top commits to school including middle infielder Ethan Moore and LHP Cameron Appenzeller. Both were draft risks.
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Despite landing some big time commits last year, Vitello spoke incredibly highly about one prospect visiting this weekend even saying something that he’s never said about a high school recruit.
“I even made comment, I want, if Todd Helton’s around, I want him to get a picture with one of these other kids because I think he’s going to be an MLB Hall of Famer,” Vitello said. “I’ve never said that about a kid that I’ve scouted before. So that’s my best way of probably being too dramatic, but quantity and quality will be the best group I’ve ever been a part of.”
Vitello saying this is the best recruiting weekend he’s ever been apart of says a lot because Tennessee has had major recruiting weekends in recent years as the Vols have landed top five recruiting classes each of the last two years. Before his time at Tennessee, Vitello helped Dave Van Horn and Arkansas land some top-level classes.
Tennessee is in the midst of a nice recruiting run, landing commitments earlier this week from Franklin outfielder Jayden Pearl and New Jersey left-handed pitcher Cooper Burti. Both players are part of the 2027 recruiting cycle making them juniors in high school.
