Tony Vitello guided Tennessee to a key weekend series win over Ole Miss on Sunday, getting a clutch 9th-inning home run to outlast the Rebels in a 10-8 rubber match. That victory gave the Vols 2 out of 3 games in Oxford, and the topic of the transfer portal came up afterwards.

In fact, a pair of former Ole Miss stars were key for Tennessee. Staff ace, southpaw Liam Doyle, pitched for Ole Miss last season, and first baseman Andrew Fischer, who had 4 hits, 4 runs scored and a home run in the series, was on Ole Miss’s roster a season ago.

Asked about Fischer and some drama in his return to Oxford, Vitello admitted the infielder is “really comfortable in his own skin,” and that is something that can rub people the wrong way when he’s not on your side:

“Now he’s on the other side, I’d be like them too. I didn’t like him last year, matter of fact,” said Fischer about the reception at Ole Miss. “Maybe somebody popped off — sometimes you like to say stuff in the dugout and hope it doesn’t get out there, but he is so comfortable in his own skin, it’s aggravating if he’s not on your side…”

As for the yelling that occurred, Vitello admitted he gets it for former players returning to their old schools but also described it as “the world we live in” these days, pointing to transfers also playing a role for Ole Miss this season. That’s when Vitello dropped his brief take on the Nico Iamaleava saga with a quick word of advice for Vol football fans.

“I get the yelling. You can tell people really like Liam, they really liked watching him compete. Their most dangerous guy all weekend was at Kentucky last year. We could go on with our history, too. I don’t like it, it’s part of the deal, and all I want every year when we come to work is a bunch of guys who want to be at our place,” described Vitello. “And if they don’t, that’s fine. That’s just the world we live in, and if you’re a Vol football fan, watch the movie ‘Friday’.”

While Vitello did not elaborate, “Friday” is notably quoted often for its “Bye Felicia” moment. Clearly, there’s no love lost between Vitello and Iamaleava, and for good reason after the way things played out for Josh Heupel and the football program.

(H/T 247 Sports)

Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.

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It seems all but guaranteed that the Tennessee Titans will take Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, the Titans are lacking in go-to receivers. Calvin Ridley is the only proven reliable receiver on the roster after Nick Westbrook-Ikhine left for the Miami Dolphins, and DeAndre Hopkins was traded ahead of the NFL trade deadline last season.

Jacob Infante of PFSN sees the need at receiver for the Titans, as well, and he has Tennessee landing a top prospect to go along with Ward – Luther Burden III from Missouri.

The Titans are still in need of a WR2 for their offense to pair alongside Calvin Ridley,” Infante writes. “After taking a quarterback in Round 1, it would be smart to give him another top weapon to throw to. Luther Burden III’s production dropped in 2024 compared to his All-American 2023 season, but the tools are all still there. He’s elite after the catch with the ball-carrier vision, contact balance, and lateral quickness needed to make him a home-run hitter on any given play. If he continues to develop as a route runner, the sky’s the limit for the Missouri product.”

Burden had a better 2023 than 2024, but a lot of his decline in numbers had to do with Missouri’s offense as a whole taking a step back, it’s not necessarily a reflection on Burden himself. Nonetheless, he still had 61 catches for 676 yards and sic scores in 2024. In 2023, Burden had a remarkable 86 catches for over 1,200 yards and nine touchdowns. A duo of Burden and Ridley would give Ward a trustworthy combination of pass-catchers behind an offensive line that should be improved by default with the additions of Dan Moore and Kevin Zeitler.

Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!