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Jim Schlossnagle cites the financial dynamics at A&M as one of the reasons he took the Texas job
Old Texas A&M head baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle sent shockwaves throughout the state when he accepted the Texas work less than 24 hours after the Aggies lost national championship game.
In an interview with the Fort Worth Star-TelegramSchlossnagle described the process of taking a job in Texashis friendship with Texas AD Chris Del Conte and more.
He said he knew the move would generate controversy, but was surprised by the scope of the anger.
“I didn’t anticipate the vitriol that my family, our team and their families have received … death threats, endless text messages and other things,” he said. “I believe the majority of Aggies are really good people and I’ve heard a lot of positive things from a lot of them, but the vocal minority has certainly been aggressive, to say the least.”
Schlossnagle cited A&M’s financial dynamics as one reason for the decision.
“I would say with everything that was going on financially in the department, the agreement that we made to begin construction on the stadium in June 2024 started to slow down, and that was disappointing because I had recruited a coaching staff and recruits thinking that we would be in a new stadium in 2025 or 2026,” he said.
Things got tight financially when the Aggies fire Jimbo Fisher, pay out huge severance package to do this.
“Then we had the change of football coach [with Fisher’s firing and subsequent near $80 million buyout]. That ultimately led to a new athletic director, which always makes any coach wonder what direction things are going,” Schlossnagle said. “At the end of April, they fired my athletic administrator, Chris Park, during the season when we were ranked number one in the country. This has created a leadership vacuum for our program on a daily basis alone. A program’s athletic administrator plays an important role in our daily operations.”
Related:Nation Reacts As Jim Schlossnagle Makes Texas Play: ‘I Just Stole A&M’s Soul’
Schlossnagle’s relationship with Texas AD Chris Del Conte played a key role in his decision. Del Conte was TCU’s AD when he was the Horned Frogs’ head coach. Schlossnagle mentioned that his contract with A&M had a big buyout if he went to another Texas school.
During the regional, he expressed his frustration to Aggies AD Trev Alberts, citing the stadium’s slow renovations. Then Alberts surprised Schlossnagle.
“He then made a comment to me — kind of comparing his situation to leaving his alma mater, Nebraska,” Schlossnagle said. “He told me, ‘You know, Jim, if you ever don’t feel like this is the place for you, that’s okay, and it’s okay to move on.’ I was a little surprised by this, and it was at that moment that I started to think that maybe this wasn’t going to work out. No one ever contacted me or my agent about a new contract for our team, so I decided to focus on taking our team to Omaha and winning.”
There were reports that the Texas deal was done long before the Aggies even arrived in Omaha, but Schlossnagle refuted that idea.
He said he never had any serious conversations until the end. When he returned to College Station, he let some players know that his departure was a possibility. Several players entered the transfer portal after he left. Del Conte met with him later that day, and after a two-hour conversation, he left for Austin.
Long before, one of the most shocking coaching moves in state history was official.
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