Social Media Reacts to Virginia Baseball Coach Brian O'Connor Leaving For Mississippi State

Jun 16, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; Virginia Cavalier head coach Brian O'Connor walks off the field after the loss against the Florida State Seminoles at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Things seemed to be trending towards Virginia Baseball head coach Brian O'Connor leaving to take the head coaching job at Mississippi State and it was made official tonight. O'Connor will be the Bulldog's next head coach and now the Cavaliers will have to search for the successor to one of the top coaches in the country. O'Connor has been at UVA for the past 22 seasons but is leaving for a new challenge in Starkville.

This is a huge loss for UVA. O'Connor has been one of the best coaches in the country and replacing him is not going to be easy. This job should be attractive to a number of candidates, however.

With one of the biggest coaching moves in recent memory, social media had plenty of reaction to Brian O'Connor leaving for Starkville:

JUST IN: Mississippi State has hired Brian O’Connor away from Virginia.

-1 National Championship, 1 runner-up
-800+ career wins
-18 NCAA Tournament berths
-9 Super Regionals
-7 College World Series
-100+ MLB Draft picks
-3-time National Coach of the Year

Statement made. pic.twitter.com/yXofaatWj9

— Tru Maroon Nation (@TruMaroonNation) June 2, 2025

Me currently liking every tweet I see about Brian O’Connor rn: pic.twitter.com/5cBNBTFpvy

— Jeff Le🅱️🅱️y’s 🅱️urner™️ (@Lebby_Burner) June 2, 2025

Honestly, the SEC isn’t ready for the next level classiness of Brian O’Connor.

Especially after some of the behavior we’ve seen from big time SEC coaches this weekend.

— Monty Taylor (@Monty2740) June 2, 2025

From a pure resume standpoint, Brian O'Connor is the best head coaching hire Mississippi State has ever made in any sport.

885 wins in 22 seasons, zero losing seasons, five years of 50 or more. 18 Regionals, 9 Super Regionals, 7 CWS, 2 NC Appearances, 1 Title

— Robbie Faulk (@robbiefaulkOn3) June 2, 2025

What is wrong with UVA?

Since 2021, they’ve lost Bronco Mendenhall, Tony Bennett and now Brian O’Connor. Probably one of their top 5 all time football coaches, a natty winning basketball coach and a natty winning baseball coach.

Terrible https://t.co/RbTGdGTOZW

— Spammie Henson (@SpammieHenson) June 2, 2025

Again…I don’t know if Brian O’Connor will win big (who would know, right?)

But what I do know is this: I learned a lot of what I know/believe in this job by covering men like @JohnCohenAD & @3strikes_AU at Mississippi State.

I believe Brian O’Connor is same kind of person. https://t.co/MM1g7YxYld

— Matthew Stevens (@matthewcstevens) June 2, 2025

It needs to be known that when Brian O'Connor took over at Virginia they were about as bad of a program as Missouri.

He then took them to 7 CWS (the only coach to do that there) and won a title.

— Dudy Noble Field (@DudyNobleField) June 2, 2025

First, Tony Bennett
Second, Brian O'Connor

What a rough time to be a Hoos fan https://t.co/0ppJgZ24cU

— Hayden Miller (@hbmiller27) June 2, 2025

#UVa loses national championship winning coaches Tony Bennett and Brian O'Connor in the same athletic year. Brutal. https://t.co/bnRSmlffRU

— John Shifflett (@John_Shifflett) June 2, 2025

O'Connor had this to say about taking the job at Mississippi State:

"Mississippi State represents everything I love about college baseball — tradition, passion and a relentless pursuit of excellence. I've coached against this program and followed it closely for years. The atmosphere at Dudy Noble Field is nationally recognized as the best in the sport. I'm incredibly honored and grateful for the opportunity to lead a program with this kind of legacy and fan base. Mississippi State has set the standard in college baseball, and I can't wait to get to work, build relationships and compete for championships in Starkville."

O'Connor took over the Virginia program in 2004 and quickly elevated it into a national power. In 22 seasons, he led the Cavaliers to: O'Connor's seven College World Series appearances are also the third most among active NCAA head coaches. Virginia had made just three NCAA appearances before his arrival. He also became the second-fastest coach in ACC history to reach 500 career wins.

O’Connor entered the 2025 season with a career record of 885-370-2 and a 362-234-1 record in ACC play. He is one of eight coaches in the history of the ACC to accumulate 700 wins and his .705 winning percentage is the highest among active NCAA coaches.