Josh Elander Hires Florida Interim Head Coach as New Assistant

#53
#53
I genuinely am concerned for Sully. Behind the tough facade, he is known as a decent guy. He and TV were fairly close behind the scenes.
I have no idea what is going on, and one of my old pro teammates (Ex. Gator 3rd baseman) who is pretty close to the program knows nothing as well.
I pray it's a reversible situation.
 
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#62
#62
patrick said:
www.baseballamerica.com

Tennessee Hiring Florida Interim Head Coach Chuck Jeroloman

Tennessee is hiring Florida associate head coach and interim head coach Chuck Jeroloman as its associate head coach and recruiting coordinator.
www.baseballamerica.com www.baseballamerica.com

Tennessee is hiring Florida associate head coach and interim head coach Chuck Jeroloman as its associate head coach and recruiting coordinator, a source told Baseball America. It marks Tennessee’s first major hire under new head coach Josh Elander.

The move reunites Elander and Jeroloman more than a decade after their paths first crossed at TCU, where Jeroloman coached Elander during the 2012 season. The two remained close over the years, and once Elander was promoted to replace Tony Vitello earlier this month, it quickly became clear that Jeroloman would be a top target to join his staff.

Elander now adds a seasoned recruiter and proven developer of hitters and infielders. Jeroloman’s reputation across the SEC has been built on his relentless energy on the trail and a refined technical approach that has shaped some of college baseball’s most dangerous offenses.

That included the 2025 Gators, who slugged 94 home runs—the seventh-highest total in program history—despite navigating a string of injuries throughout the spring. Eleven different Florida players recorded a game-winning RBI, fueling a second-half surge in which the Gators hit .296 with a .406 on-base percentage, .500 slugging percentage, 26 home runs and 32 stolen bases over their final 18 SEC games.

Among Jeroloman’s top success stories this past season was freshman infielder Brendan Lawson, who emerged as one of the league’s most versatile and productive rookies. Lawson hit .317/.417/.522 with 10 home runs, 48 runs scored and 61 RBI to earn Freshman All-America honors. He started 60 games while seeing action at three infield positions.

Jeroloman also oversaw career-best offensive years from shortstop Colby Shelton and catcher Brody Donay. Shelton, a Brooks Wallace Award semifinalist, batted .377 with 19 doubles and a .606 slugging percentage before a hamate injury ended his season. Donay slugged 18 home runs and posted a 1.064 OPS, rounding out a Florida lineup that remained explosive even as it retooled midseason.

That production reflected Jeroloman’s influence as both an evaluator and developer. He was instrumental in recruiting third baseman Bobby Boser, who led the Gators in nearly every major offensive category in 2025, including hits (80), home runs (18), RBI (67) and stolen bases (19) en route to All-America honors.

Jeroloman’s track record of player development stretches far beyond one season. During Florida’s run to the 2023 College World Series Finals, his offense set a program record with 145 home runs while producing seven All-Americans, including unanimous First-Team selections Wyatt Langford and Jac Caglianone. The Gators finished top-10 nationally in slugging percentage, runs and hits while scoring in 43% of their innings that year.

Florida also ranked among the nation’s best defensive teams under Jeroloman’s oversight. In 2024, the Gators finished third nationally in fielding percentage (.982) and committed just 42 errors in 66 games. That same year, seven players hit double-digit home runs for the first time since 1998, reflecting both offensive balance and depth.

Jeroloman joined the Florida staff before the 2020 season after previous stops at South Florida, Jacksonville and TCU. At Florida, he played a central role in landing multiple nationally ranked recruiting classes while helping sustain the program’s run of NCAA Tournament appearances and SEC success.

Jeroloman was the primary recruiter for Florida commits Brady Harris, Kevin Roberts, Denton Lord and Ethan Wheeler, all of whom are considered early-round prospects in the 2026 draft. Ryan McMahan (No. 30 among high school prospects) and Jace Moran (No. 56) are prominent commits in Florida’s 2027 class.

His departure from Gainesville comes amid an unusual period for the Gators. Jeroloman had been serving as acting head coach with Kevin O’Sullivan on administrative leave due to personal matters. Pitching coach David Kopp and assistant Taylor Black remain as Florida’s only full-time assistants. O’Sullivan is expected to return at some point before the 2026 season, though no precise timetable has been set.
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I work with both of Wheelers parents and my son played with McMahan (Rylan is his name, not Ryan) in middle school. That middle school team was better than most travel teams, it was stupid. Wheeler pitched against us, with McMahan pitching for us in a game and both were already committed to Florida...IN MIDDLE SCHOOL. We had a packed house just to watch it...A FREAKING MIDDLE SCHOOL GAME. I am originally from TN, Athens, and I have never seen the talent so concentrated in an area like this, Jacksonville. The Harris kid is a STUD. Harris and Wheeler were on the Trinity Christian HS team a couple years back, Harris transferred to St Johns Country Day later on, and their starting line-up 1-9 hitters were all committed to D1 schools. it was stupid.
 
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#63
#63
txbo said:
Anybody know what Sully's issue is?
Click to expand...

He's a decent enough but...prickly?...guy at this core, with his share of personal issues like any of us. Its odd, he comes across as an unbearable d!ckhead to fans, but most baseball people I know like him.

Could be anything... for his sake, I honestly hope its a quickly addressable health concern.

Also worth noting the Florida Ath. Dept and UF as a whole is sort of a mess. They're still looking for a president and on their 2nd interim after the last full time guy abruptly resigned citing his wife's health issues, but it came out soon after he had ballooned the office's budget and blew millions on consultants, jets, parties, and the usual stupidity.

Their AD is literally semi-retired, just fired his 2nd failed football coach, baseball has sputtered and has whatever Sully's issue is, and their one (admittedly very) successful hire in basketball was stalking women a year ago and barely ducked the allegations (wasn't cleared by any stretch, but winning has a way of covering sins for a while). I imagine they won't have an AD until they have a president... so... yikes.
 
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#64
#64
WallyBalls said:
He's a decent enough but...prickly?...guy at this core, with his share of personal issues like any of us. Its odd, he comes across as an unbearable d!ckhead to fans, but most baseball people I know like him.

Could be anything... for his sake, I honestly hope its a quickly addressable health concern.

Also worth noting the Florida Ath. Dept and UF as a whole is sort of a mess. They're still looking for a president and on their 2nd interim after the last full time guy abruptly resigned citing his wife's health issues, but it came out soon after he had ballooned the office's budget and blew millions on consultants, jets, parties, and the usual stupidity.

Their AD is literally semi-retired, just fired his 2nd failed football coach, baseball has sputtered and has whatever Sully's issue is, and their one (admittedly very) successful hire in basketball was stalking women a year ago and barely ducked the allegations (wasn't cleared by any stretch, but winning has a way of covering sins for a while). I imagine they won't have an AD until they have a president... so... yikes.
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So…more simply, a Total CF?
 
#68
#68
I don't think O'Sullivan being out is as big a deal as some are making it out to be. They had finished their fall practices. They are just in workouts now. We choose to play more at the end and most play them early so it is warmer. You only get so many days.
 
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#70
#70
preacherman20 said:
I don't think O'Sullivan being out is as big a deal as some are making it out to be. They had finished their fall practices. They are just in workouts now. We choose to play more at the end and most play them early so it is warmer. You only get so many days.
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Your head coach taking a leave is always a big deal. Especially when your interim makes a lateral move. Imagine if Elander took a lateral position right after Tony left.
 
#73
#73
With football being a bit disappointing and basketball being a little iffy right now, I look to baseball for peace of mind. Great hire Josh!
 
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