5 major takeaways from Michael Earley's first press conference as Texas A&M head coach
Michael Earley had a crazy week. The former Texas A&M hitting coach was on his way to Texas with former Aggies coach Jim Schlossnagle. Then Earley headed back to College Station to replace Schlossnagle. He made immediate portal splashes in recruiting. Earley hit the ground, sprinting like an Olympic hurdler. Here are five takeaways from his introductory press conference.
5 major takeaways from Michael Earley's press conference
#1. Welcome back, would-be transfers
In the aftermath of Schlossnagle's Texas move, a sizeable chunk of the Aggies roster bolted for the transfer portal. This wasn't just the usual exodus of bench guys who weren't playing. Jace LaViolette, Gavin Grahovac, Hayden Schott and Ali Camarillo were all headed out the door. But then Earley shut the door.
Earley addressed these would-be departures in his press conference. The new coach noted,
"[T]here's a couple guys who have recommitted to the school. I completely understand and everyone should understand why they got in the transfer portal and why there's still guys in there. ... It is completely okay. I completely understand and everyone should understand that these guys have to take care and protect themselves." (h/t 247Sports).
That said, all four players mentioned above are re-committed to the Aggies, so it's probably easy for Earley to be sympathetic with his former players/current players on that front.
#2. Earley is going after other portal guys
Meanwhile, the other immediate story of Earley's hiring is his full-on pursuit of other transfer portal possibilities from other programs.
"We had a couple big announcements today," Earley said. "I'm not going to say the names, but if you got Twitter you've seen them and we've got more coming."
Presumably, Gavin Kash's arrival from Texas Tech is part of that puzzle. Kash was widely considered the top prospect still available in the portal. The slugging star is one of the most established power bats in the nation and could be lethal teamed with Grahovac and LaViolette.
#3. Earley certainly had a plan on his staff
While Michael Earley's hiring was a whirlwind moment for most observers, in his initial appearance, Earley made clear that he had given a significant amount to his staff. That started with hiring Washington head coach Jason Kelly as his new pitching coach. Kelly was 54-51-1 at UW and was previously LSU's pitching coach in 2022.
Earley discussed Kelly in his opening comments.
"Jason has taken a big leap of faith on me," Earley said. "We've been really good friends for a long time. ... He was a gigantic piece of the puzzle for me."
Other hires include former Texas assistant Caleb Longley in a reverse raid on the Longhorns.
"He's one of the best hitting guys I've ever been around in my life," Earley said of Longley.
#4. His focus will shift
Michael Earley acknowledged that as head coach, his program goals will shift. He spoke of A&M as historically being a pitching-rich school and acknowledged that as a hitting coach, he wanted to turn it into an offensively-based program.
"Now as a head coach, I want to keep it as a both school," Earley said. "I don't necessarily just want offense, but that that was my goal coming in and my vision like, okay, I'm going to put my stamp on this place. ... And we got this program in a place where we're well-rounded and we're balanced, right? We can win in many different ways."
#5. Earley had an unlikely draw to Texas A&M
The Aggies coach grew up in Indiana. When asked about his interest in Texas A&M, Michael Earley made a surprising confession. During his minor league baseball days in the Carolina League, during a pre-game meal, the clubhouse television was turned to a Texas A&M football game.
"I think it was Johnny Manziel's first football game," Earley said. "I think they're playing Florida and they got beat, am I right? Hope I'm right. I remember watching this dude run around and then I'm like, okay. He kind of drew me to watching the football games."
Earley's memory was sharp. Texas A&M lost to Florida 20-17. But from that loss came the first seeds of what might end up as a major program victory.
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