Texas A&M Made 'Furious Run' At Two Other Head Coaches Before Michael Earley Hire

Before the hiring of Michael Earley, the Texas A&M Aggies 'shot their shot' with two very prominent baseball coaches.

Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello and Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle pose for a photo with the championship trophy during a press conference before the NCAA College World Series finals at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb., on Friday, June 21, 2024. | Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA

The Texas A&M Aggies hired former hitting coach Michael Earley as the 21st head baseball coach in program history on Sunday, finally finding their replacement for the recently departed Jim Schlossnagle.

However, according to reports from D1Baseball college baseball insider Kendall Rogers, Earley was not always the Aggies' first choice.

Per the report, before the hiring of Earley, the Aggies made a 'furious run' at Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello and Virginia head coach Brian O'Connor.

“A&M made a very furious run ($$) for Tony Vitello. It shot its shot, but TV stayed put and loyal to a program that has given him the keys to the castle,” Rogers posted on X. “A&M also went after UVA’s Brian O’Connor, but very difficult to get him out of (Charlottesville).”

Both, however, were never truly interested in the job, it seems.

Rogers also noted that three of the more prominent names being mentioned as potential candidates for the job - Florida State's Link Jarrett, Oklahoma's Skip Johnson, and Wake Forest's Tom Walter - were never serious candidates.

"Link Jarrett was never an option for the (Aggies). Link loves FSU and went back with Martin's blessing. There was no way he was turning his back on the (Seminoles)," Rogers tweeted. "Skip Johnson, as I've alluded to, was never offered the job. He and Tom Walter were taken off the list when the Earley option arose."

That said, Johnson and Walter did interview for the job in recent days. Johnson also recently signed an extension with the Sooners, locking up his future in Norman.

No matter the case, the Aggies now have their future Skipper and are more than thrilled with their decision.

Is it a risk? Absolutely. Earley has no prior head coaching experience in college baseball.

However, he does have one key attribute that all of the other candidates lacked - the love of the players.

And that should go a long way.