(*Cover photo via soonersports.com)
It has been an “interesting” last 24 hours regarding Skip Johnson and his future as the head coach at the University of Oklahoma, to say the least.
While Johnson had been reported as a candidate for the vacant Texas A&M job after Jim Schlossnagle left for Texas, nothing concrete had connected him to the Aggie position. In fact, Dallas Baptist University head coach, Dan Heefner was the leading candidate for the position until Friday morning when he withdrew his name.
That is when the rumors that Johnson was a leading candidate started to heat up. It was around midday that Johnson was, in fact, going to be the next head coach in College Station.
A few hours later, another report came out from a Sooner centric account saying that a deal was in place for Johnson to head to A&M and that OU ahd Joe Castiglione were going to make a “last-ditch effort” to make Johnson stay.(that post has since been deleted.
There was enough smoke for SSBR to report on what was being said.
However, almost as quick as those “Skip to A&M” reports came out, Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball shot them down.
For me, that made the situation “calm down” considerably because Rogers has a really good pulse on what is going on nationally and he has some great connections to A&M.
As the day went on, it seemed that some were interpreting Joe C’s meeting with Johnson was the “last-ditch” effort that was earlier referenced when it was actually a regular “annual” meeting (think of it like your annual review where you work).
As the day wore on, it became apparent that a deal for Johnson to A&M was not actually in place and nothing was imminent. So much so, the Sooner centric site that reported Johnson was going earlier in the day actually came out and said he was wrong.
So after all of that, we went to bed on Friday knowing:
- 1. Skip Johnson had interviewed at A&M
- 2. Joe C and Johnson had met on Friday in what was a standard/scheduled contract meeting.
- 3. Skip Johnson was still currently the head coach at OU.
Saturday
As of about 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, it seems all of this was put to bed as it was reported by Kendall Rogers and Josh Callaway (247 Sports) that Johnson was no longer a candidate at A&M and will sign an extension to stay at OU.
Going Forward
Now that this “saga” is behind them, it is time for the University of Oklahoma and Joe C to ensure the baseball program in Norman can be successful in the SEC.
Two of the last three seasons, the Sooners have been real players on the national scene. They were the national runner up in 2022 and Big 12 Conference Champs and a regional host in 2024. They are joining a baseball crazed conference this coming season and it is time the admin at OU acts like it.
If we are being honest, baseball is the #2 sport in the SEC behind football. Yes, they have Kentucky in baseball, but that is about it. Heck, the Wildcats were the #2 national seed in the NCAA Baseball Tournament this year!
It’s obvious that Johnson loves it in Norman and he has said that he is looking forward to playing in the SEC. Signing him to a contract extension is a great first step.
Last month, Joe C got into a “kerfuffle” with fans on social media about funding the facilitie upgrades for the baseball program. I’m not saying I know what other programs in the SEC do for their baseball programs, but from the outside looking in, they seem to do MUCH more than what OU does. I can’t imagine relying on private donations is the answer when the Sooner athletic department is in the top 10 in revenue.
It is time for the administration to understand what the baseball program needs and ensures the program gets it.
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