This should come as no surprise to Tennessee fans and those who are familiar with a general knowledge of college athletics. Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Danny White has been named the 2025 Sports Business Journal Athletic Director of the Year.
When it was announced that Danny White would be hired to run Tennessee’s Athletic Department in 2021, the feedback was essentially unanimous it was a home-run hire. Since joining Tennessee, White has elevated the Volunteers’ athletic program to new heights, achieving remarkable success across sports while revolutionizing the business of collegiate athletics.
White’s tenure has been marked by historic achievements. The football team secured two 10-win seasons and debuted in the College Football Playoff in 2024. Men’s basketball reached back-to-back Elite Eight appearances, and the baseball team won a national championship, Tennessee’s first championship in any sport since 2009 (Women’s Indoor Track & Field). Women’s basketball, under new coach Kim Caldwell this season, advanced to the Sweet Sixteen.
Tennessee stood alone in 2024 as the only school to appear in the College Football Playoff, Elite Eight, and College World Series. With all 20 sports poised for postseason play for the second straight year, Tennessee earned a third-place finish in the 2023-24 Learfield Directors’ Cup and claimed three consecutive SEC All-Sports trophies.
Beyond competition, White has doubled Tennessee’s athletic budget to $280 million, one of the largest in college sports. His vision ensures resources are reinvested to give teams every competitive edge. Navigating the complex world of NIL, White has positioned Tennessee to thrive, leveraging a new state law to maintain flexibility in a rapidly changing landscape.
White’s leadership has created a winning culture. Notably, he and his father, Kevin White, who won the same award in 2014 at Duke, are the first father-son duo to receive this honor. Danny White’s impact at Tennessee is undeniable. Many knew he would bring athletic-success back for the Vols, but nobody foresaw this level of success. Chancellor Plowman should do everything in her power to lock Danny up for a lifetime contract.
BaseVols Postseason
Hand up. I will admit that I am not someone with considerable baseball knowledge. Probably like many Vol fans, I did not pay too much attention to College Baseball until Tony Vitello’s hiring and recent success. But I have found myself invested and have to give the sport credit. It’s fun to watch. During last year’s College World Series, I was quite literally on the edge of my seat watching Tennessee sweat out their win against Texas A&M to capture their first-ever National Championship in baseball.
Tony Vitello’s instant success has made most of us spoiled. Sitting with a record of 43-15, the overall fan-sentiment is that this team has underachieved. Prior to Vitello’s tenure, the 2025 season would have been considered one of the best ever in Knoxville. It is important for fans to keep that perspective during a “down” year for Tennessee Baseball.
While the regular season did not end the way many had hoped, the team appears to be getting hot at just the right time. With SEC Tournament wins over No. 1 Texas (7-5, 12 innings) and No. 9 Alabama (15-10), there has been a boost in the NCAA Tournament projections.
D1Baseball ranks the Vols (43-15) as the No. 15 seed, hosting West Virginia, Miami, and Miami (Ohio) in the Knoxville Regional. Baseball America projects them at No. 14, hosting West Virginia, ETSU, and Bryant, while 11.7 College Baseball has them at No. 12, hosting West Virginia, ETSU, and Murray State. Tennessee’s No. 10 RPI exceeds that of Florida, Ole Miss, and Alabama, strengthening their case.
With a crucial SEC Tournament semifinal against No. 4 Vanderbilt set for Saturday at 1 p.m. ET, Tennessee’s postseason momentum is building. Their current hot-streak and home-field advantage at Lindsey Nelson Stadium position them as a top threat for another deep NCAA run in 2025.
CFB Updates Playoff Seeding
Remember how most fans thought the CFB expanded-playoff seeding was stupid? Well, it only took one year for the Playoff Committee to realize this as well.
Starting this upcoming season, the committee is adopting a straight seeding model that eliminates automatic byes for the top four conference champions. While five of the 12 playoff spots remain reserved for conference champs, all teams will now be seeded based on CFP rankings. The top four seeds will still receive a first-round bye. The shift was approved by conference commissioners, and will fix the flaws seen in the 2024 playoff.
Last year, the CFP’s original format gave byes to the four highest-ranked conference champs, causing seedings that made no sense. Boise State, ranked No. 9, was seeded No. 3, and Arizona State, ranked No. 12, was No. 4. All four champs with byes—Boise State, Arizona State, Georgia, and Texas—advanced automatically to the quarter finals.
Under straight seeding, the 2024 first round would have been: No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Notre Dame, No. 11 Arizona State at No. 6 Ohio State, No. 10 SMU at No. 7 Tennessee, and No. 9 Boise State at No. 8 Indiana.
This model would have reshuffled team prospects. Georgia (No. 2), Texas (No. 5), and SMU (No. 11) would have faced tougher paths, lowering their title odds. Ohio State and Tennessee would have gained easier paths. Indiana would benefit from a home game, and Oregon’s finals path would improve without an early Ohio State matchup.
For those Vols fans keeping count, go ahead and add this seeding correction to a rule change that would have positively impacted a Tennessee team if it were already in place.
-The September 2000 Tennessee-Florida game. The Vols led 24-20 late in the fourth-quarter when Jabar Gaffney “caught” a TD pass that resulted in a Tennessee loss. For those watching on TV, it was clear Gaffney was bobbling the ball, but the official called a touchdown. Instant replay for play-review would go on to be implemented several years later which would have reversed the call.
-In the 2010 Music City Bowl against North Carolina, the Tar Heels were penalized with one second remaining for having too many players on the field when attempting to spike the ball and stop the clock. This allowed them to get their field-goal unit on the field and tie the game on a last-second kick where they would go on to win in double overtime.
As a result, the NCAA Football Rules Committee adopted a new rule effective for the 2011 season, mandating a 10-second runoff on the clock when an offense is penalized for a foul that stops the clock in the last minute of either half. Opponents would have the option to take the penalty yardage with the 10-second runoff, decline the yardage but keep the remaining time, or decline both.
-The 2024 CFB Playoff Seeding. With the conference champions getting automatic first-round byes and higher seeding, Tennessee was seeded behind teams like Arizona State & Boise State. The Vols would go on to be seeded against the eventual CFB-Champion Ohio State Buckeyes in the first round.
With the corrected seeding that was just adopted, Tennessee would have had a first-round home playoff game against SMU, with the winner playing Georgia in the quarterfinals.