Vols athletic director Danny White reveals if former Tennessee players endorsing Josh Elander swayed his decision

Vols athletic director Danny White reveals if former Tennessee players endorsing Josh Elander impacted his decision

Vols athletic director Danny White spoke to reporters following Elander's introduction as Tennessee's new baseball coach and was asked if the endorsements from former players impacted his decision.

"I love all of our former athletes," said White. "I'm not going to be swayed in a search process based on things like that. They obviously have high opinions. I'm not sure I saw much of that (social media posts from former players). But I would think anybody that's ever played for Josh has a high opinion of him, and I get that. My job is to focus in on the here and now and follow the process that I outlined."

It's a bit surprising to hear that White didn't consider the opinions of the folks who know the program the best. No one knows what it takes to make Tennessee baseball successful more than former players, so you'd think White would value those opinions.

But regardless of how White went through the process, the most important thing is that he landed on the right hire. Elander was a huge part in creating the incredible culture in Tennessee's baseball program. And while he won't be Tony Vitello 2.0, he's clearly the best option to carry the torch from Tennessee's first national championship-winning baseball coach.

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