Jim Schlossnagle blames financial dynamics as reason behind leaving Texas A&M for Longhorns job
Jim Schlossnagle has been in the news this week after making the in-state switch from Texas A&M to Texas. The coach has now opened up on some of the reasons behind leaving the Aggies to join the Longhorns.
In his first interview as Texas coach, Schlossangle spoke to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and discussed the financial issues at Texas A&M. He also touched upon the instability in the athletic department with the arrival of Trev Alberts and potential delays to the construction of the team stadium as the University was left short of funds following the firing of football coach Jimbo Fisher.
“I would say that with everything that was going on within the department financially, the agreement we made to begin construction on the ballpark in June of 2024 began to slow down, and that was disappointing since I had recruited a coaching staff and recruits thinking we would be in a new ballpark by 2025 or 2026,” Schlossnagle said.
“Then we had the football coaching change [with Jimbo Fisher’s firing and subsequent near $80 million record buyout]. That eventually led to a new athletic director, which always makes any coach wonder what direction things are going.
"In late April, they laid off my sport administrator Chris Park, during the season when we were ranked No. 1 in the country. That created a vacuum of leadership for our program just on a daily basis. The sport administrator for a program plays a big role in our daily operation.”
Jim Schlossnagle went on to explain how his conversation with new Texas A&M athletic director Trev Alberts didn't come to fruition. The latter had given the coach the green light to move on and accept a new challenge when he brought up the issues at the program during a conversation.
A look at Jim Schlossnagle's coaching record at Texas A&M
Jim Schlossnagle was appointed as the Texas A&M coach in June 2021. Across three seasons with the team, he compiled a 135–62 overall record. Schlossnagle led the Aggies to the CWS in 2022 and to a regional in 2023. In his final season, Texas A&M reached the CWS finals and took a 1-0 lead in the series, but eventually lost the national championship against the Tennessee Volunteers.
Notably, Schlossnagle announced his departure from Texas A&M just a few days after the Aggies lost the CWS finale. He was unveiled as the Texas coach on Wednesday.