Jim Schlossnagle made a stunning transfer from Texas A&M to Texas on Tuesday, leaving College Station after three seasons as head coach.
The Aggies fell one win short of the national championship this season under Schlossnagle. It was the best season in program history and the second time in three seasons they reached Omaha.
Schlossnagle seemed poised to turn A&M into a juggernaut. While they’ve long been a top-tier program, they’ve never had a run as successful as the last three years. The task now is finding someone to build on that success. Schlossnagle is just the second coach to leave after finishing second in the CWS. He joins South Carolina’s Ray Tanner, who was promoted to athletic director after leading the Gamecocks to a third straight CWS championship series before losing to Arizona.
A&M hired athletic director Trev Alberts from Nebraska in March and now he has to make a huge hire. A&M took a big hit from its rival. The team was already very committed to baseball before this happened, but there will definitely be added motivation as a result of everything that happened this week.
A&M is top notch work. He has plenty of money to invest in baseball in all its aspects: coaching salaries (A&M’s staff earned well north of $2 million in 2024); name, image and likeness opportunities for players and facility improvements (Blue Bell Park is set to undergo an $80 million renovation).
Between the level of investment, the fan base, the access to local talent in baseball-crazed Texas and its status as a member of the SEC, Texas A&M is one of the best jobs in the country. Expect A&M to act accordingly and quickly. As a result of the coaching change, several of the Aggies’ top players entered the transfer portal, including All-American outfielder Jace LaViolette and SEC freshman Gavin Grahovac. Quickly finding a new head coach to try to retain some of these players in College Station or rebuild the roster is a must, especially with the MLB Draft less than three weeks away.
The candidates
Cliff Godwin, head coach, East Carolina: Is it ultimately the job that pushes Godwin to leave his alma mater? He’s had a number of SEC jobs over the years, from Alabama to LSU to Mississippi State. None of them worked out, some because he wasn’t willing to leave Greenville, others because he wasn’t the choice. Godwin really wants to get ECU to the CWS, which it never did. But college sports are at an inflection point, and the difference between being a member of the SEC and being a member of the American Athletic Conference has never been starker. Godwin has a solid resume and has won a lot at ECU. It may be time for him to move.
Dan Heefner, head coach, Dallas Baptist: Heefner has built DBU into a powerhouse. The Patriots have made the NCAA Tournament in 10 straight seasons and have won at least 40 games eight times during that stretch. He’s done it all with a program that is the only Division I sport at the school, which otherwise plays in Division II. There’s no doubt he’d win big at a school like A&M, but he’s also pretty entrenched at DBU.
Brian O’Connor, Head Coach, Virginia: O’Connor signed a contract extension two weeks ago, through 2031. He spent 21 years at Virginia, building that team into a powerhouse and winning the national championship in 2015. So what do we do? of him in this list? If O’Connor were to make such a leap forward at this point in his career, it would likely say a lot about where the ACC stands relative to the SEC in the national championship race. If he thinks the SEC offers a better chance to win the title or if he wants to compete in the conference – like Schlossnagle and Jay Johnson in recent years – he would be a good hire. But getting him out of Charlottesville won’t be easy.
Skip Johnson, head coach, Oklahoma: Johnson has deep ties to Texas. Those may run a little too deep in Austin, given recent events. He began his career at Navarro (Texas) JC before moving to Texas to be Augie Garrido’s pitching coach for a decade. He’s done an impressive job at Oklahoma since taking over after the 2017 season, leading the Sooners to a runner-up finish in the 2022 CWS and winning the Big 12 this spring, Oklahoma’s first conference title in more than 25 years.
Nick Mingione, head coach, Kentucky: Mingione has taken Kentucky to new heights as a program and this spring led the Wildcats to their first-ever CWS appearance. He’s pretty happy at Kentucky, but there’s also no getting around the fact that A&M has better infrastructure. It’s probably not a no-brainer for Mingione to take the job. The way he was built and won in the SEC, however, is worth a close look.
Mark Wasikowski, head coach, Oregon: Wasikowski did a great job at Oregon, leading the Ducks to four straight NCAA tournaments. He’s taken them to two straight super regionals and A&M got to see his work up close just a few weeks ago when he swept Oregon in the College Station super regional. He’s associated more with the West Coast after spending the better part of the last two decades at Arizona and Oregon, but it’s worked out well for LSU and Jay Johnson.
Dan Fitzgerald, head coach, Kansas: Fitzgerald spent nine years on DBU’s staff before a season at LSU. Kansas then hired him in 2022. In two years, he completed an impressive turnaround with the Jayhawks, leading them this spring to a 31-23 record, their best winning percentage since 2013. Fitzgerald wouldn’t be as flashy as some, but A&M would get a rising coach with SEC experience, Texas ties and a winning record.
Matt Deggs, head coach, Louisiana: Deggs has a strong track record as a head coach. He led the Ragin’ Cajuns to this year’s Sun Belt title, their first since 2016. He also had success at Sam Houston State, where he led the Bearkats to the super regionals in 2017. Off the field, Deggs has a unique story. Once a rising assistant coach at A&M, Deggs was fired in 2011 when his drinking problem spiraled out of control. He was out of the game for a year before the late Tony Robichaux gave him a second chance at Louisiana. Deggs took that chance and took it, becoming head coach at Sam Houston two years later. He has been very open about his journey and has gained a lot along the way. A&M knows him as well as anyone.
Will Bolt, head coach, Nebraska: Does it happen? Probably not. But given the history of Alberts and Bolt, it’s worth weighing. Bolt has worked twice as an assistant at A&M, for a total of seven years. His alma mater Nebraska hired him as its head coach after the 2019 season. In four seasons, he went 137-97-1, won a Big Ten title and made two NCAA tournament appearances. Alberts wasn’t the AD who hired him, but he was his boss for three years. There’s a lot of familiarity; Bolt is from Texas and knows what it takes to win in College Station.