Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello flipped the script on the notion of “If you build it, they will come.” Vitello has them coming and now the question is, "Will Tennessee build it?"

Or maybe better said, "Will Tennessee fix it up?"

Vitello and his program deserve all the bouquets they receive. The staff deserves more money and everyone associated with Tennessee Baseball deserves better facilities.

AD Danny White and Chancellor Donde Plowman have been talking to donors about all of this for the last couple of weeks. They know the challenge they have in keeping Vitello. The raise for him and his staff is the easy part; getting the Lindsey Nelson Stadium renovations going isn’t something you do overnight.

But it’s something Tennessee has to do, not just to keep Vitello, but to be consistently relevant in baseball in the SEC.

You can make the case that winning at the highest level in baseball in the SEC is as hard (if not harder) than as it is in football. SEC Football is the nation's best, but SEC Baseball league is deeper 1-14. Even for the best teams in the SEC in baseball, there is no easy weekend.

Vitello has proven you can build and win at Tennessee in 2021. Rod Delmonico did that in the 1990's, but the Tennessee job is better than it was 25-30 years ago, even though the facilities are subpar.

After all, Lindsey Nelson Stadium was "a new build" for Delmonico in 1993; today, 28-year old LNS is a "Fixer Upper" for Tony V.

But let's focus on the positive of the Tennessee Baseball job.

Talent. In-state talent.

High school baseball in the Volunteer state has never been better. This week's state tournament in Murfreesboro featured players committed to SEC schools, ACC schools and everywhere in-between. There are players everywhere in the state, whether it be in cities, suburbs or small towns. Suddenly, Tennessee is a target rich environment for baseball recruiting.

Tennessee doesn’t have to live in Florida or California to recruit to build a roster. They don't have to do all of their shopping at myriad JUCOs. Plus, high school players now want to play college baseball more than ever. And because there are so many players in the state of Tennessee, you don't have to land everyone to be successful. Just get your share, which Vitello is more than doing at this moment.

You can build the foundation of a team in-state, which greatly helps with managing partial scholarships and with the Hope Scholarship to provide further assistance.

Bottom line: Tennessee is a good baseball job in 2021. Fix the facilities and Tennessee can be one of the best jobs in the SEC.

I believe that the University’s administration is going to do all they can to keep Vitello. I think renovations are coming. I think they will play on-campus and not downtown, which is what Vitello wants. I believe Vitello and his whole staff are going to get p-a-i-d if they stay at Tennessee.

But even with that, keeping Vitello is not a given. LSU for one will be alluring if they come calling. Every other school that has an opening (or will have one) is going to have interest in the man who has built it at Tennessee before anyone has come. This guy has transformed the Vols into a national contender in four years with the 13th-best facility in a league of 14.

So Tony Vitello is in a spot everyone in their profession would like to be in. He has options upon options. Does he want to jump to a more tradition-rich program like an LSU and follow in the footsteps of the Skip Bertmans of the world? Or does Vitello want to be different?

Does he want to carve his own path and create his own legacy? Does he want to try and potentially become Tennessee Baseball's General Neyland or Pat Summitt?

In the end, this will be Tony Vitello's choice.