Oklahoma’s baseball program and the fans around the program can take a deep breath. Skip Johnson is here to stay.
The last few weeks in the college baseball world have been a bit noisier than usual after Jim Schlossnagle surprisingly bolted from his post as the Texas A&M baseball coach for that exact position with the Texas Longhorns.
He is a two-time National Coach of the Year and, simply put, one of the best head baseball coaches in the country. After his Aggies lost in this year’s College World Series championship, he took the vacant Texas Longhorns job.
In the time that has followed, Texas A&M has been feverishly trying to find his replacement. One name that was brought up was Oklahoma’s Skip Johnson.
Reports surfaced Friday afternoon that Johnson was the guy for the Aggies. Josh Callaway of Sooners Illustrated for 247Sports and Kendall Rogers, managing editor for D1Baseball, denied them.
Today, athletic director Joe Castiglione announced that Skip Johnson will stay on as Oklahoma’s head coach and receive an extension that will run through 2029.
The future is bright 📈 pic.twitter.com/BTUADhcBIb
— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) June 29, 2024
Johnson’s work in Norman hasn’t gone unnoticed, and he has the Sooners on an upward trajectory as it enters the SEC.
The key for Oklahoma to take the next step is to back it up financially in name, image, and likeness and upgrade the facilities to match some of the investment other SEC baseball programs receive. If the baseball team can get to that level, with Skip Johnson’s baseball insight and leadership, Oklahoma can touch unfamiliar heights in baseball.
With questions about Johnson’s future in Norman behind them, the Sooners can now focus on preparing for next season and attacking the transfer portal hard as they prepare for the first baseball season as SEC members.