AggieYell Mailbag, sponsored by Tipton Auto Group
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Q: Can you give an update on baseball recruiting /commits? As well as needs & lineup assuming portal guys come back or not. I know you said we may need a SS, possibly a C (?).
I think it was in a post from last week, I just can’t find it. (6.William.Bs)
A: Well, I posted that before Benedict decided to go down the river (American history buffs will understand). Now, we're kind of in a wait-and-see situation. But yeah, at that point I figured they might need a shortstop and a catcher. But that was then.
Q: Tell us about our new baseball coach! (Smasher200)
A: I fully expect that he will be announced tomorrow at about noon. Because I'll be in the air flying back from Jacksonville.
Q: How much do you think Schloss leaving affects Jonah Williams recruitment? (AggieAppraiser)
A: Interesting question and I have it on pretty good authority that it affects it approximately 0.0%. Ok, I'll be fair. It affects it 0.00000001%.
Q: Have Henseler and Bergevin recently commented or solidified their commitments during this situation? (Jram)
A: Neither has said anything, and I think that's probably the right thing to do in their case. Just let it play out and see who the next coach is, then make your final decision. But they haven't indicated they're running to Austin with Vidkun.
Q: With all the “hate” attention going towards Baseball, as well it should, do you think Football NIL money will benefit as well?
A: That's why I mentioned the other day that I'm very interested in seeing how much of the FYJ sentiment flows over to other sports. It's very possible that some people are so fired up they want to crush Texas in everything, which would lead to increased football NIL.
How come our last Baseball coach is considered such a good to great coach? (Big Smoothie)
A: Check out his track record. As a coach, it's exemplary. As a human being, he's anything but.
Q: Shifting away from baseball for a moment, can you fill us in on the current state of football recruiting? Anything new on Fasusi or anyone? When do you expect commitments to start rolling in? Are there any new prospects we should be aware of? (hogtide)
A: We're going to see a lot of action on the recruiting front, starting this weekend. I fully expect at least one commit, and maybe more. We're also getting to crunch time for 4-star TE Linkon Cure, 4-star LB Riley Pettijohn and 4-star WR Taz Williams. A&M is in the mix for all of them, though I doubt they'll get all of them.
Q: Early assessment of our new AD?
A: Personally, there's no way in hell I would have given Brutus a chance to release a statement through my office. He could pound sand. I don't blame him for the defection of what's-his-face, but he has to make a good hire and do it very fast. This is a decision that could dictate his entire tenure at A&M, and while I know that sounds heavy, it's not an overstatement.
How much did the baseball cluster fire up the donations?
A: Oh, you bet.
In your professional opinion, how should the former coach handled the rumor question at the press conference? (BC93)
A: "The truth is...I am Iron Man."
Seriously? I think I would have said something like this: "I understand why you're asking the question and I appreciate it, but I'm not going to talk about that right now. It's just not the time." And drop it.
Q: There has been talk about Albert’s firings of some people have upset some. I assumed he was brought in with the mandate to cut costs. Was that so or was this just him cutting people because he thought they were unneeded. His decision or just having to do the higher ups dirty work? (Naytch)
A: The firings did upset some. Some of them upset me. But look: he's not here to make friends. He's here to operate one of the largest, and most complex, athletic departments in the United States. And that sometimes requires hard decisions, especially as we enter an era where money from athletic departments will be going directly to athletes. So he was placed in a tough situation.
Q: Is it just me or did a lot of players seem like their heads weren't in it through most of game 3? Could it be some of them knew what was going to happen (especially after Pierce's firing) and were distracted? (3rd Gen Ag)
A: I think that's just you. I know that sounds harsh, but it's not intended to be.
Q: What's up with our leadership? Seems like they would be going scorched earth on tu after this crap but all we've heard is crickets. Do you think there's something brewing behind the scenes or are we lead by a bunch of "Oh shucks, you got us good on that one" kind of saps? (BVOSUX)
A: Tell me: What, exactly, can they do? What Texas and Themistocles did was not illegal, it was just incredibly unethical and dirty. They're sleazeballs. There's no crime against that. And if they've got something, I'd much prefer they move quietly and then lower the boom rather than yell and scream so Old Ags can go "GIG 'EM BTHO tu WHOOP!"
This is business. It's serious business. Let's treat it as such and not try to win some stupid headline with a 48-hour lifespan.
Q: How did no one know that Schlongnagle was such a jackass without morals, character, or integrity? I never heard anything about him while at TCU or when we were trying to hire him? (Tsip Despiser)
A: Oh, I'm sure people knew. But they were blinded by the brass ring of great baseball success. Which A&M got.
Kim Philby is not the first A&M coach to have questionable morals and values. He will not be the last. He's just the only one to be an outright liar and fraud when the bright lights were on, only to defect to the arch-enemy within 12 hours. For that, he holds the highest level of contempt above some coaches I know were also human refuse.
Q: (1) Can we really add a new baseball HC by Sunday?
A: Yes.
(2) Seems like a lot of players entered the portal as a hedge. Understandable given we don’t know who would coach here. We’ll get a high-caliber HC, so what percentage of the portal enterers do you see staying? Thank you. (Kneuse)
A: I don't think they'll keep all of them, but if the coach is as high a caliber as is expected, I think they could keep most of them.
Q: Any updates on the baseball commits would be greatly appreciated if there is anything out there. The only thing I have seen in the last few days is the NC kid that decommitted from Texas. (cjohn)
A: There's nothing out there. I think most everyone is in a holding pattern at this point.
Q: How much were we paying schloss?
A: $1.35 million, or thereabouts.
How far are Tus facilities behind and when or how much would it take for them to catch up?
A: I have no idea, but they play on turf. That screams trash.
Now to the real question, with the ruling all schools have to pay former athletes money for past reparations...does that hurt some schools NIL and upgrades? I heard ole Miss had to halt some baseball upgrades due to it. (Aggiefox27)
A: Now, hang on. Most of that money will be paid by the NCAA. But yes, it is another thing that could hurt NIL and upgrades. In the case of A&M, it doesn't seem to have been an issue yet. And it may not be. Other places may not be so lucky.