College baseball insider reports Texas A&M offered DBU HC Dan Heefner a lucrative $2.9M per year deal
Fresh off his 17th season with Dallas Baptist, it's safe to say that Dan Heefner is likely the best coach in program history. He's coming off a season in which he led the school to yet another conference title and regional appearance, where the Patriots bowed out in the Tucson Regional.
During a busy hot stove season in which numerous coaches were hired and fired, the head coach has so far elected to return for an 18th season at DBU. This isn't to say he wasn't reportedly courted by other schools, as reports have come out that Texas A&M may have offered him a deal worth almost three million dollars a season to replace Jim Schlossnagle, who left to take over at rival Texas.
John Moore, an insider who covers the Texas Rangers as a part of "Rangers Today Baseball Podcast," discussed the terms of Heefner's reported deal from the Aggies. The terms seemed more than generous, but it would be tough for Heefner to leave a program he has guided for almost two decades.
Wow……I am hearing that offered coach Dan Heefner 8 years at $2.9 million a year and he turned it down," Moore tweeted.
Would Dan Heefner be a good fit at Texas A&M?
After Schlossnagle left in a shocking state, the rumor mill was blazing hot on who Texas A&M athletic director Trev Alberts would bring in to replace one of the best head coaches in college baseball. Heefner was rumored to be one of the top names due to the work he has put into building up Dallas Baptist's program.
17 seasons in one place is not common in today's sports world, so his time in Dallas has been a special one to the veteran coach. However, a reported annual salary of $2.9 million is nothing to sneeze at. Furthermore, an eight-year contract is a sign that the Aggies would bring in a new coach with another long-term vision.
Despite the potential fit that Heefner would have had at College Station, Alberts opted to promote Michael Earley to head coach. This was done to promote continuity and to help keep the current talent in place that TAMU already had, such as sophomore outfielder Jace LaViolette.
What's next for Dan Heefner?
A return for an 18th season at Horner Ballpark seems to be the most likely option, as the Patriots' coach looks to get them back to the Regional round of the NCAA Baseball Postseason Tournament, if not further than that. They've never made it to Omaha, though, only making it to the Super Regional round in 2011 and 2021, both under Heefner's tutelage.
Promoting Earley and hiring the long-time coach might have been seen as the same level of move by Alberts since the DBU headman has never taken Dallas Baptist to the College World Series despite his long tenure there.
After finishing runner-up in Omaha this season, winning the school's first national title in baseball is naturally at the top of the Aggies' list. Maybe Earley will be able to do that sooner rather than later.