Seven Aggies, including several stars, entered the NCAA transfer portal on Wednesday following Texas A&M Aggies head coach Jim Schlossnagle’s abrupt departure from College Station for a new position with the Texas Longhorns, who are led by his close friend, sports director Chris Del Conte.
Star left fielder Jace LaViolette, the probable top selection in the 2025 MLB Draft, Graham Grahovac, the SEC Freshman of the Year, second baseman Kaeden Kent, designated hitter Hayden Schott, and outfielder Caden Sorrell were among the Agxodus.
Schlossnagle made a point of saying that if NIL is at the center of the conservation, talks with possible future players would not take place during his first press conference on Wednesday.
Furthermore, his former players will be in high demand, given chances to demonstrate their skills on the field and make a sizeable income prior to turning pro, particularly LaViolette, who shot to the top of the portal’s player rankings right away after joining.
Schlossnagle thinks that academics, player development, and team success will ultimately determine those decisions, even if they originate from the gateway that brought A&M so much success during his brief stay there. Schlossnagle’s efforts to recruit former Aggies to Austin should be positively received by them given the staff retention and program history.
Speaking with the Texas players who might be back next season—first baseman/outfielder Jared Thomas, shortstop Jalin Flores, and Big 12 Player of the Year winner right fielder Max Belyeu—was Schlossnagle’s main priority on Wednesday.
One immediate benefit of that decision for the A&M players who accessed the portal is that they can now get in touch with their former head coach, who left the team so abruptly. NCAA regulations prevented Schlossnagle from speaking with his players after he accepted the Texas position; the new head coach of the Longhorns referred to this as “miserable.”
For example, Schlossnagle didn’t speak with any of his former teammates after leaving TCU to join Texas A&M until the Horned Frogs and Aggies faced each other in the postseason.
There might be some sore feelings to heal if Schlossnagle and his three assistants, who followed him from College Station, decide to go after their former players.
“A lot of people will argue that this wasn’t handled correctly, particularly on the A&M side. I simply don’t know how it could have been accomplished,” Schlossnagle remarked on Wednesday.
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