KNOXVILLE, TN – May 03, 2025 – Associate Head Coach Josh Elander of the Tennessee Volunteers before the game between the Auburn Tigers and the Tennessee Volunteers at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, TN. Photo By Kate Luffman/Tennessee Athletics

Tennessee Director of Athletics Danny White said that he was conscientious of the upcoming signing day while conducting a national search to find Vol baseball’s next head coach. White did not have keeping Tennessee’s recruiting class together in the forefront of his mind when he hired Josh Elander to replace Tony Vitello.

But White certainly made the best hire to preserve that recruiting class. Elander has been Tennessee’s top recruiting assistant coach for years and a big reason why the Vols have stacked top notch recruiting classes.

“A lot of kids on that team are committed to Josh,” Former Tennessee OF Griffin Merritt told RTI last week. “Josh is an extremely good recruiter and has a very good relationship with all those kids. Tennessee won’t lose a lot of recruits from this unless he doesn’t hire Josh.”

The former outfielder’s words appear to be true. Countless Tennessee commits in the 2026 and 2027 recruiting classes have taken to X (formerly known as Twitter) since the Vols announced the hire to re-affirm their pledge to Elander and the Tennessee program.

Here’s a look at some of the commits who have backed the hire publicly.

More From RTI: What Danny White Said About Hiring Josh Elander On Vol Network

*All rankings are national and from Perfect Game.

2026 SS Landon Thome (No. 95 player)

Let’s gooo!! 🍊@josh_elander @RockyTopRoss pic.twitter.com/MuMA5RWGEt

— Landon Thome (@landonthome25) October 26, 2025

2026 C Sean Dunlap (No. 85 player)

Got our guy🍊#LFG #GBO
100% committed🫡 pic.twitter.com/OjOn63Bvub

— Sean Dunlap (@Seandunlap28) October 26, 2025

2026 LHP Drew Christine (No. 351 player)

Let’s go E! Great day to be a Vol! #GBO @josh_elander pic.twitter.com/v3O9mIX2dr

— Drew Christine (@DrewChristine_5) October 25, 2025

2026 RHP Kai Bratton (No. 442 player)

New beginnings!! Can’t wait!! 🍊🍊 pic.twitter.com/VURuBqge3F

— Kai bratton (@Kaibratton2026) October 25, 2025

 

2027 OF Jayden Pearl (No. 111 player)

LFG!!! GBO!!!!🖤🍊@Vol_Baseball @josh_elander pic.twitter.com/7FvQQGs1rf

— Jayden Pearl (@Jaymoney_2027) October 25, 2025

2027 SS Max Hemenway (No. 6 player)

Love what the future holds. Great day to be a Vol! 🍊🍊 pic.twitter.com/M901ckMA7d

— .MAX (@MAX_HEMENWAY) October 25, 2025

2027 OF Sebastian (Sushi) Wilson (No. 22 player)

That’s my coach. LFG @josh_elander https://t.co/euLMAJcmDb

— 🍣 Sushi Wilson 🍣 (@SushiWilson2027) October 25, 2025

2027 C Blake Lundy (No. 29 player)

#VFL pic.twitter.com/qVENb14rqg

— Blake Lundy (@BlakeLundy16) October 26, 2025

2027 LHP Cooper Burti (No. 247 player)

200% committed. 🍊 https://t.co/3CaPHEAwCr

— Cooper Burti (@cooperburti) October 25, 2025