The primary points of yesterday's update remain the same.
All eyes are focused on former MLB manager Joe Girardi. He is definitely on the UCF campus today, I have multiple reports of him being spotted.
As I speculated yesterday, it would be quite unprecedented to bring a candidate on campus without the possible objective of closing a deal. Perhaps Girardi is just a different kind of candidate - and his recruit daughter is visiting UCF WBB.
While I thought a hire might be imminent, the official word though is that an official hire may not happen until closer to the weekend or very early next week. I'm still wary of that claim though. If it's Girardi, I think there's a chance something could be very close.
Girardi though is not the only finalist - two other names still being strongly considered and they may be still actively coaching teams in Super Regionals.
However, I continue to have reasons to believe Girardi would be the No. 1 candidate. Perhaps it's on Girardi at this point to make it clear he's very serious about this position and is not a risk to go back to MLB after a year or two. UCF would be looking for a commitment.
As for FSU assistant and UCF alum Rich Wallace, I am hearing that he is out of the running. He did conduct an initial interview, but the fact FSU took all three of UCF's high-profile transfers - Drew Faurot, Cam Leiter and Jacob Marlowe - may have been viewed unfavorably.
Still, I don't know if that was the overall determining factor or not. It's a tough position to be in. Wallace is the recruiting coordinator of a FSU program that desperately needs talent in order to rebuild. That staff didn't arrive in Tallahassee until July of last year (Notre Dame was in the College World Series) and thusly didn't have time to take advantage of the transfer portal. The head coach, Link Jarrett, had an agreement with ND administration that he would not take ND players with him to FSU.
The remaining roster was pretty bad, which is why FSU missed a NCAA Regional for the first time in a generation. If you're FSU, seeing that UCF had a couple notable available players in the Transfer Portal with no head coach, it's not surprising they would be interested. It's a tough spot to be in. Wallace's first obligation is to his current employer.
Whatever the reason, it appears the time is not right for Wallace and UCF. This will undoubtedly disappoint some folks, including UCF's anonymous $5M donor.
Life goes on though. If it's Girardi, he would be viewed as home run hire that would send shockwaves through the Big 12 and college baseball. As I said yesterday, his staff will be very important since Girardi has never coached below MLB or recruited. The names I posted (Greg Brown, etc.) were "informed speculation" from those familiar within college baseball circles. In asking around, I was told Greg Brown was actually close with Greg Lovelady and was previously offered a UCF assistant position several years ago.
So right now, I think we wait to see if it's Girardi. If it is, there's no reason to drag things out much longer.
All eyes are focused on former MLB manager Joe Girardi. He is definitely on the UCF campus today, I have multiple reports of him being spotted.
As I speculated yesterday, it would be quite unprecedented to bring a candidate on campus without the possible objective of closing a deal. Perhaps Girardi is just a different kind of candidate - and his recruit daughter is visiting UCF WBB.
While I thought a hire might be imminent, the official word though is that an official hire may not happen until closer to the weekend or very early next week. I'm still wary of that claim though. If it's Girardi, I think there's a chance something could be very close.
Girardi though is not the only finalist - two other names still being strongly considered and they may be still actively coaching teams in Super Regionals.
However, I continue to have reasons to believe Girardi would be the No. 1 candidate. Perhaps it's on Girardi at this point to make it clear he's very serious about this position and is not a risk to go back to MLB after a year or two. UCF would be looking for a commitment.
As for FSU assistant and UCF alum Rich Wallace, I am hearing that he is out of the running. He did conduct an initial interview, but the fact FSU took all three of UCF's high-profile transfers - Drew Faurot, Cam Leiter and Jacob Marlowe - may have been viewed unfavorably.
Still, I don't know if that was the overall determining factor or not. It's a tough position to be in. Wallace is the recruiting coordinator of a FSU program that desperately needs talent in order to rebuild. That staff didn't arrive in Tallahassee until July of last year (Notre Dame was in the College World Series) and thusly didn't have time to take advantage of the transfer portal. The head coach, Link Jarrett, had an agreement with ND administration that he would not take ND players with him to FSU.
The remaining roster was pretty bad, which is why FSU missed a NCAA Regional for the first time in a generation. If you're FSU, seeing that UCF had a couple notable available players in the Transfer Portal with no head coach, it's not surprising they would be interested. It's a tough spot to be in. Wallace's first obligation is to his current employer.
Whatever the reason, it appears the time is not right for Wallace and UCF. This will undoubtedly disappoint some folks, including UCF's anonymous $5M donor.
Life goes on though. If it's Girardi, he would be viewed as home run hire that would send shockwaves through the Big 12 and college baseball. As I said yesterday, his staff will be very important since Girardi has never coached below MLB or recruited. The names I posted (Greg Brown, etc.) were "informed speculation" from those familiar within college baseball circles. In asking around, I was told Greg Brown was actually close with Greg Lovelady and was previously offered a UCF assistant position several years ago.
So right now, I think we wait to see if it's Girardi. If it is, there's no reason to drag things out much longer.
