Jim Schlossnagle's Overnight Move To Texas No Less Credible Than Many Players Entering Portal

With the 2023-24 college sports calendar now officially over with Tennessee beating Texas A&M, 6-5, Monday night for the baseball national title, Texas and Oklahoma are now officially in the Southeastern Conference.

There will be no more games involving a 14-member SEC. It's now 16.

And what a way to go into 2024-25, but by an Assassin's move in the Assassin's conference.

The first official hire, or hit, of the new SEC was much like the old SEC - a devilish one by Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte, right out of "Breaking Bad." But this was more of a coup d'etat than a routine hire. And the Del Conte name sounds like something out of "The Sopranos."

Then-Texas A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle greets Tennessee coach Tony Vitello before their College World Series best-of-three championship series opener last Saturday in Omaha, Nebraska. (Getty Images)

Texas officially took Texas A&M baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle on Tuesday before the Aggies' dead bodies from their loss to fellow SEC member Tennessee the night before were even cold. Neighbor stealing from neighbor just 100 miles apart. That's the SEC. It just means more … to covet your neighbor's coach, then kill your neighbor by hiring him away.

And Del Conte's decision on Monday to announce the firing of previous baseball coach David Pierce on the very day Texas' most-hated rival, Texas A&M, was trying to win its first major national title in a men's sport since 1939 was another Soprano stroke of genius. Or stab of genius, I should say.

"Hey, Texas A&M, this is Texas. Just wanted to let you know we're in the SEC with you now. AND WE JUST TOOK YOUR COACH! Here's to having as much fun screwing each other in the SEC as we did in the old Southwest Conference. Hook 'em Horns! And Gig this, brother!"

Yes. Texas was in the SEC for one day, and the Aggies' "Gig ‘em," is already behind the "Hook ’em Horns."

Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte chose to announce the firing of his baseball coach on the same day his rival Texas A&M was playing for its first national championship in baseball on Monday. (Getty Images)

Texas hadn't been in the SEC for 24 hours, and it pulled a classic SEC, Cain & Abel move - much like Florida snapping up SEC-brethren Mississippi State's football coach Dan Mullen in 2017, just three days after his regular season finale. Or Auburn grabbing SEC -brethren Ole Miss' football coach Tommy Tuberville, only a few days after the 1998 regular season ended.

"They're going to have to carry me out of here in a pine box," Tuberville had said just days before fleeing Oxford on his weekly radio show as questions about his Auburn move wouldn't cease. Soon, Ole Miss fans were all for such a coffin.

"Make it longleaf pine," one Rebel said at the time in reference to the timber of choice in Mississippi, as opposed to the Yella Wood down Auburn way.

Schlossnagle didn't go as far as Tuberville, now a quotable United States senator out of Alabama, at his press conference Monday night. But he should've stuck to talkin' baseball.

Jim Schlossnagle Made His Own "Selfish" Comments

"I think it's pretty selfish of you to ask me that question, to be honest with you," Schlossnagle said wrongly to TexAgs.com writer Richard Zane, who was almost too nice in asking the obvious and necessary Texas question with the utmost respect and professionalism.

"With respect to the difficult outcome tonight, but with the rumors circulating today about a specific job opening, what do you have to say about your future in Aggieland?"

Questions do not get much more professional.

"That's unfair to talk about something like that," Schlossnagle said. "That would be like you asking (Braden) Montgomery if he's going to sign in this draft."

Wrong again. It's a very fair question, particularly since Texas had just announced its firing of Pierce on Monday. And asking junior outfielder/pitcher Braden Montgomery about the Major League Baseball draft (July 14) would be another fair and timely question since Montgomery is expected to be a top 10 or 15 pick in the first round. And if Montgomery didn't injure his leg in the Super Regional, the Aggies probably beat Tennessee for the national title. 

"I gave up a big part of my life to come take this job," Schlossnagle went on. "And I poured every ounce of my soul in this job, and I gave this job every ounce I could possibly give it. Write that."

Schlossnagle apologized for his answer to Zane on Wednesday when he was introduced as Texas' new coach in Austin.

"He asked the question that was an obvious question," Schlossnagle said with class. "I wish I could've answered that better."

Still his final quote Monday was very true. Criticize Schlossnagle all you want for his ridiculous comments before that, since he did just take the Texas job. But do not criticize him or his credibility as a coach for taking the Texas job.

This is America, and you can take whatever job you want. That's what America's about. And Schlossnagle is not screwing Texas A&M at all.

Jim Schlossnagle Is Best CWS Coach In Texas A&M History

On the contrary, he leaves Texas A&M better in baseball than it ever has been. The Gig ‘em Aggies gagged early on in every College World Series they ever went to pre-Schlossnagle through six appearances from 1951-2017. They went 0-2 or 1-2 in all six of those. Schlossnagle’s first A&M team in 2022 became the first in Aggies history to win two games in Omaha. Then his 2024 team became the first to reach the CWS final four and finished with the third-best record of all time at 53-15.

"I am very confident that we left that program in better shape than we found it," Schlossnagle said Wednesday.

That's something to build on for the new coach.

Remember, a major reason Schlossnagle left was to be reunited with Del Conte, who was his athletic director at TCU. Texas A&M fans who were paying attention should've always known this could happen.

"I had a buyout clause specifically for the University of Texas," Schlossnagle said. 

Texas will be paying Texas A&M a $2.7 million buyout of Schlossnagle's contract to get him, then is expected to pay him about $3 million a year. The buyout is twice Schlossnagle's base salary for 2024 because he left for Texas.

And it's not like Schlossnagle just got there. He was at A&M for three seasons, which is longer than most of these players who jump into the NCAA Transfer Portal like it's a swimming pool in the desert. Some incoming freshmen wait only about three months before entering the transfer portal, aka the quitter or backup portal.

No Texas A&M baseball coach in history took the Aggies as far as Jim Schlossnagle did in both 2022 and 2024. (Getty Images)

In fact, Schlossnagle is no worse or disloyal than most players who enter the portal. At least he accomplished something in his time before entering the coaching portal.

A reporter asked Schlossnagle Wednesday what a recruit is to think of his word, considering his departure from A&M.

"All I can say is I have a career, too," Schlossnagle said. "I have a personal life as well. I just know I could not walk away from this job."

OPINION: College Players Can Leave, Too

Right on. And, by the way, what college player can a coach trust now? College athletes have no binding contracts to their NIL deals or have to pay any buyouts if they suddenly go to a new school. 

Remember, just a day or so after Alabama lost to Michigan in the College Football Playoff semifinal on Jan. 1, nine Crimson Tide players entered the portal, including senior starting center Seth McLaughlin and five-star redshirt freshman wide receiver Shazz Preston. They would've each likely played a lot this season, as would some of the other seven. Alabama developed McLaughlin and was developing Preston. But Ohio State and Tulane, respectively, will reap those benefits. What about their credibility?

ANALYSIS: OutKick Told You Nick Saban Was Leaving

"I thought we would have a hell of a team next year," Alabama coach Nick Saban said after he announced his retirement on Jan. 10, and his players did not know that was coming. "And then maybe 70 or 80 percent of the players you talk to, all they want to know is two things. What assurances do I have that I'm going to play because they're thinking about transferring and how much are you going to pay me?"

Unlike so many players who enter the portal, Schlossnagle has earned his opportunity to enter the portal. Number one, he's older and he's worked harder and better for longer.

And you can't blame him. Texas in Austin is a better place to live, coach and recruit than Texas A&M is in College Station. And particularly in baseball. A&M has eight trips to Omaha and 0 national championships. Texas has gone to Omaha more than any other school with 38 from 1949-2022, and it's not even close. Miami is No. 2 with 25. The Longhorns have won six national championships from 1949-2005 and finished runner-up another six times from 1953-2009.

Roger Clemens pitched at Texas. Augie Garrido won the last national title in 2005. How can Schlossnagle not want to follow guys like that?

For a guy who was an assistant coach for eight years at Tulane in uptown New Orleans, he's going to love Austin.

Texas A&M Is A Great Job, But Texas Is Better

Texas A&M is a great job, too, and both schools have great fan support and more money than they know what to do with for athletics. Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan is at a place that has never had great fan support and would go to Texas A&M. The Aggies should go after him.

Meanwhile, Schlossnagle is going to love Texas. Everything's bigger there, and everything is bigger at Texas than it is at A&M. 

"My choice was a personal choice in my own personal life," Schlossnagle said on June 21 in Omaha about his move to A&M from TCU. But he could've been talking about his move from A&M to Texas, which he likely knew he would be doing at the time.

"As I said at that time, I wasn't taking a better job. I was taking a different job," he said. "It was an opportunity. I think everything has a shelf life. I wasn't running away from anything. I was more just running to something that I wanted to try differently."

So, Schlossnagle ran to Austin, basically in the cover of night. He may have needed to do so.

"It'll be an experience for sure," Schlossnagle said Wednesday about Texas playing at Texas A&M in an SEC series in the 2026 baseball season after the first one will be in Austin in 2025. "I can't even imagine what a three-game SEC series will be like."

And maybe we'll see you on Saturday, Nov. 30, at Kyle Field in College Station for the first-ever SEC football game between Texas and Texas A&M.

Watch your back.

But Aggies fans need to understand.

"I just don't know any other way this could've been done," Schlossnagle said Wednesday. "It's not like we could've sat and waited for a week. That wouldn't have been fair to either team. I love those players. I wanted that national championship for those players, and I wanted that personally, too. And I really wanted it for Texas A&M, because I believe in the 12th Man. I did want to be a part of their first national championship team there. Probably most importantly, I want to thank Texas A&M."