Florida baseball two-way star Jac Caglianone takes batting practice
Florida baseball slugger Jac Caglianone takes his first hacks at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha before the start of the College World Series
Texas baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle will be at the center of the college baseball world starting Friday night when he leads the No. 1 Longhorns against his former team in Texas A&M.
Schlossnagle made the controversial move from the Aggies to Texas just one day after Texas A&M fell in game three of the national championship to Tennessee last season at the College World Series.
Schlossnagle told reporters the night of Texas A&M’s national championship loss that he took the Aggies job to never take another job again. That turned out to be untrue, as he was announced as Texas’ coach the next day.
Adding fuel to the controversy, of course, was the fact Schlossnagle joining the Aggies’ fiercest rival. The “Lone Star Showdown” foes are also two of the most well-known college baseball programs in the country.
Here’s why Schlossnagle left Texas A&M for Texas, ahead of his first game against his former team on Friday night:
Why did Jim Schlossnagle leave Texas A&M for Texas?
One of the top reasons for Schlossnagle leaving Texas A&M for Texas was his relationship with Longhorns athletic director Chris Del Conte, who was Schlossnagle’s boss at TCU from 2004-21.
Schlossnagle, a former longtime TCU coach, felt he couldn’t pass up an opportunity to reunite with Del Conte while also becoming coach of one of the most resource-rich programs in college baseball.
“Although I know many will be upset with my decision, I chose to make a change to join a longtime friend to continue my career as a college baseball coach,” Schlossnagle said in a statement upon leaving Texas A&M. “The run to the national championship game was truly a remarkable one this year, and I will savor the memories and true friendships I have made there for a lifetime.”
Schlossnagle was long rumored as a potential coaching replacement after Texas fired David Pierce, who led the program to three College World Series appearances from 2017-24.
Schlossnagle apologized for what he said about Texas A&M after the Aggies fell in the winner-take-all national title game.
“He asked a question that was an obvious question,” Schlossnagle said at his introductory news conference at Texas. “I wish I could have answered that better. But in the moment, all 30 minutes after the last pitch, all I could think about was our players. And I really wasn’t in the mood to talk about myself for the future.”
Schlossnagle said Wednesday, two days after Texas A&M’s loss, that he met with Del Conte on Tuesday night and decided to leave the Aggies after their meeting at Schlossnagle’s home in College Station, Texas.
Texas A&M promoted hitting coach Michael Earley to head coach following Schlossnagle’s departure, and the internal hire was able to keep key Aggies players such as Jace LaViolette and Gavin Grahovac heading into the 2025 season.
Jim Schlossnagle salary
Schlossnagle agreed to a seven-year deal worth $15.4 million with Texas, according to the UT System Board of Regents.
Schlossnagle earns $1 million per year in his first two seasons, before his pay jumps to $2.68 million annually in his third through seventh year of the contract. The lower total for his first two seasons is due to his buyout, as Texas paid a $2.7 million buyout to Texas A&M to hire him.
Schlossnagle earned $1.35 million at Texas A&M last season, which means his eventual contract at Texas nearly doubles his average annual value. The highest-paid coach in the SEC in 2024 was Vanderbilt’s Tim Corbin ($1.94 million per year), according to The Nashville Tennessean. That means Schlossnagle will rank among the highest-paid coaches in the sport when his pay increase kicks in ahead of the 2027 season, barring contractual changes among head coaches in the sport.
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