Aggies Coaching Search Update: Texas A&M List Narrows As Top Candidate Comes Off Board

It appears that the Texas A&M Aggies coaching search is starting to reach its end.
Jun 22, 2022; Omaha, NE, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Skip Johnson discusses a call with an umpire during the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 22, 2022; Omaha, NE, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Skip Johnson discusses a call with an umpire during the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports / Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

The Texas A&M Aggies search for a new head coach to replace Jim Schlossnagle continued into the weekend, with the list of suitors seemingly beginning to take shape.

On Friday, one of the top candidates - Virginia's Brian O'Connor - was taken off the board after reports surfaced that he would be staying put in Charlottesville.

And on Saturday, that list began to grow even smaller, with Oklahoma coach Skip Johnson - who had reportedly interviewed for the job already - imminently expected to sign an extension to stay with the Sooners.

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May 31, 2024; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners outfielder Bryce Madron (12) high fives head coach Skip Johnson after hitting a home run during the third inning of an NCAA Division I Baseball Championship game between the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles and the Oklahoma Sooners at L. Dale Mitchell Park. Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

"Texas A&M is narrowing down its candidates, and head coach Skip Johnson will stay put in Norman as he is expected to sign a new deal with Sooners sometime today," college baseball insider Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball said on X. "Skip was most definitely in the mix, but Aggies appear to be zeroing in on three guys."

Oklahoma has had Johnson at the helm since 2018, nearly winning the entire tournament in 2022. Johnson has helped Oklahoma win over 40 games in two of the last three years.

Fortunately for Texas A&M even with Johnson officially out, the Aggies will still have plenty of names to consider for the position.

According to Rogers, some of the top coaching talents in the country, including Wake Forest's Tom Walter and former Aggies hitting coach Michael Earley - both of whom have also interviewed for the job - as well as a third candidate he did not name publicly.

Whichever direction the Aggies choose to take, a resolution is expected no later than this weekend.

Other names that have been rumored to have the Aggies' interest include Florida State's Link Jarrett, Dallas Baptist's Dn Heefner, East Carolina's Cliff Godwin, and Kentucky's Nick Mingione, among others.


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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.