After an extensive search that included big names from across the country, Texas A&M has decided to hire a familiar face to replace Jim Schlossnagle.
After less than a week on the Texas staff, hitting coach Michael Earley is returning to College Station to take over as head coach. In spite of having no head coaching experience, his success at Arizona State and A&M made him one of the most respected assistants in the nation.
Earley, 36, was the easy the most popular choice amongst current and former Aggie baseball players for the head coaching job. Players like Hayden Schott and Ali Camarillo, along with former players like Dylan Rock and Hunter Haas, campaigned hard for him to get the job.
Earley's success with A&M's hitters, especially in the 2024 run to the College World Series finals, is indisputable. The Aggies shattered the program's single-season record for homers, hitting 136. Three different players -- Braden Montgomery, Jace LaViolette, Gavin Grahovac -- hit more than 20 homers, while catcher Jackson Appel was a first team All-American with a .331 average.
Overall, the Aggies hit .299 as a team and set a school record for walks in a season with 422. A&M was sixth nationally in both hits and runs scored.
A run at the biggest of fish
Even though Earley had strong backing from players and was, reportedly, very impressive in his interview, the Aggies did take a run at the biggest name available. Multiple sources have told AggieYell.com that A&M Athletic Director Trev Alberts made a strong run at Tennessee coach Tony Vitello, the coach that defeated Schlossnagle and the Aggies to win the national championship a week ago. Vitello reportedly showed strong interest before eventually deciding to stay put late Saturday night. A&M then turned to Earley, who quickly agreed to take the job.
The Austin move
Multiple sources have told AggieYell.com that, while Earley did go with Schlossnagle to Austin, he was not aware of the plan to depart Texas A&M until the head coach had already quit. Unlike former pitching coach Max Weiner and third base coach Nolan Cain, Earley did not change his social media accounts to show him as part of the Texas staff.
Strong effect on the players
The hiring of Earley will likely mean the vast majority, if not all, of the Aggies in the transfer portal will return to Aggieland. That includes LaViolette, Grahovac and Schott. Incoming transfer Michael Bergevin has already indicated that he will stick with his commitment to A&M.
Assistant hires
Two sources have indicated to AggieYell.com that Earley will likely hire former Texas hitting coach Caleb Longley to assume the same role at A&M. Longley was on the staff at Arizona State with Earley and the two have an established working relationship.
In 2024, Texas hit .288 as a team with 112 home runs, 18th-most in college baseball.
The Aggies are likely to hire an established Power 5 head coach to lead Earley's group of assistants. While that may sound bizarre, the gulf between what A&M is capable of paying its assistants and what other teams can pay their head coaches is significant.
