Taj Mahal
Tennessee Coach Tony Vitello, speaking on the SEC Network on Tuesday night, scattered praise to Arkansas — where he was an assistant coach in 2014-17 — and others in describing how he had to instill an identifiable hook to lift the Volunteers.
“I had to find a niche, and it kind of organically became a bunch of guys with attitude,” Vitello said, referencing teammates like Max Scherzer and others from his playing days at Missouri and comparing them to his current team’s Drew Gilbert and Evan Russell.
“I think you learn to look for it a little bit in recruiting, and also the family background, just how guys compete,” Vitello said. “And again, we needed a niche at Tennessee because we don’t have the tradition that LSU had, we don’t have the instate players and the warmth at Florida. I came from Arkansas, where you have the Taj Mahal, not just of the facility but the fans filling it. So what’s our niche?”