He very much wants to get East Carolina to the College World Series for the first time in program history. Much like Bakich, Jarrett is in a good spot in South Bend, but his increasingly strong resume will continue to make him the subject of interest for major programs.Ĭliff Godwin, head coach, East Carolina: Godwin has been a hot name in previous years but so far no one has been able to lure him away from his alma mater, including Alabama and Mississippi State. This year, Notre Dame is again on track to host regionals, an impressive accomplishment for a program that had made the NCAA Tournament just once since 2006. He last year led the Fighting Irish to their first ACC title since joining the league and came a win away from reaching the College World Series. Link Jarrett, head coach, Notre Dame: Jarrett, 50, has impressed in his three seasons in South Bend, to say the least. But having led the Wolverines to a runner-up finish in the 2019 CWS and an impressive overall resume, he’s going to continue being the subject of rumors for high-end jobs. Will any of this year’s openings tempt him?Įrik Bakich, head coach, Michigan: Bakich, 44, has been courted before for premium jobs (South Carolina, Stanford) but has chosen to stay in Ann Arbor. He interviewed at LSU last year before the search moved elsewhere. If Casey, 63, is going to come out of retirement, it would have to be for the right opportunity. But he’s never closed the door on returning to the dugout and even at his retirement press conference it didn’t seem like he was closing the door on coaching again. Pat Casey: The former Oregon State coach retired in September 2018 after 24 years as a head coach and has been working in the athletic department since. But it wouldn’t be a surprise to see another blue blood make a run at it. He’s been at Virginia for 19 years and hiring him away wouldn’t be easy. O’Connor, 51, won the 2015 national championship and has taken the Cavaliers to Omaha five times. He wound up staying both times and last year signed an extension through 2027. Hiring him away wouldn’t be easy-or cheap.īrian O’Connor, head coach, Virginia: McDonnell is the name that comes up most frequently as a potential splashy hire for a prominent program, but O’Connor was a part of the search process at both LSU in 2021 and Texas in 2016. The university administration at Louisville has turned over in the 2.5 years since he signed his contract (Louisville currently has both an interim athletic director and president), but he’s still at a program he built and has proven he can win big at. So, why is McDonnell still appearing on this list? Rumors about him just won’t quit and if any baseball program is going to make a stunning splash akin to what we saw this winter in football when Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma for Southern California and Brian Kelly left Notre Dame for LSU, McDonnell fits the profile of who would be courted. At the time, then-athletic director Vince Tyra told WDRB in Louisville that the intention was to create a contract that would keep McDonnell at the program’s helm for the rest of his career. In 2019 amid interest from Mississippi State, he signed a seven-year rolling contract (it has an annual option to extend) that is worth more than $1.25 million per year and grows annually. He’s helped guide the program seamlessly into the ACC and to five College World Series appearances in 15 seasons. In preparation for those changes, Baseball America presents its annual list of coaches to watch this summer as the job market plays out.ĭan McDonnell, head coach, Louisville: McDonnell has led Louisville since 2006, building a powerhouse at the school. It probably won’t be as busy this year, but a return to the pre-pandemic level of about 30 jobs turning over-10% of the sport-wouldn’t be unexpected. It was a hyperactive market last year as 40 jobs changed hands. As teams have begun to complete their seasons, there have been a few more changes, including Kansas and Ohio State.Īll of that indicates another busy summer of coaching changes. There were in-season changes at Austin Peay State and Tulane, in addition to resignations at Brigham Young and San Francisco and several retirements planned for the end of the season. This year, college baseball didn’t wait for the end of the regular season to kick off the start of the coaching market.
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