Tennessee Vols assistant baseball coach named a potential head coach target for SEC program

A Tennessee Vols assistant baseball coach was named this week by 247Sports as a potential option to replace Mark Kingston as the South Carolina Gamecocks' head coach.

247Sports listed Vols associate head coach/recruiting coordinator Josh Elander as an option to replace Kingston, who was fired by the Gamecocks earlier this week after failing to advance past the Raleigh regional. 

From 247Sports: A former draft pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2012, Josh Elander starred at TCU before beginning his coaching career shortly thereafter. His first job was at Arkansas prior to landing at Tennessee in 2017. Since hooking up with the Volunteers, Elander has risen to associate head coach (2022) under Tony Vitello and has helped Tennessee become one of college baseball's most feared programs at the dish. Currently, the Vols are the No. 1 overall seed and will host a Super Regional next weekend. Elander is considered a rising star in the coaching ranks.

It's only a matter of time before Elander gets a major head coaching job. The former sixth-round draft selection by the Atlanta Braves has been viewed as a future head coach for the last couple of years. And if South Carolina makes him their top target, it's tough to see him turning it down. 

Elander, a Texas native who played college baseball at TCU, has been on Tennessee's coaching staff since the 2018 season (when Tony Vitello took over as the Vols' head coach).