The search for the next Texas Longhorns head baseball coach took a turn Thursday evening.

Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball.com reported that Florida’s Kevin O’Sullivan, who sources had told Horns247 previously was likely Texas’ top choice to replace Augie Garrido, has agreed to a contract extension that will keep him in Gainesville for the forseeable future. More importantly, Rogers said whatever interest O’Sullivan might have had in the Texas job is likely gone with the Gators having made a big commitment to him.

For those wondering, there’s no turning back from Kevin O’Sullivan here. It’s done. He’s not going to Texas. — Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogersD1) June 10, 2016

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If O’Sullivan is truly off the board, where do the Longhorns go from here?

A source with knowledge of the situation told Horns247 recently that there’s mutual interest between Texas and Virginia’s Brian O’Connor. It would be tough to pull O’Connor from Virginia, where he won the national championship last season. O'Connor is well paid and has everything he needs to compete for championship annually. But the best thing for Texas is that the Cavaliers’ season is over and there’s nothing holding the Longhorns and athletic director Mike Perrin back from pressing ahead if O’Connor is indeed the a prime target.

If something were to happen with O’Connor, whether it be a lack of interest on his part or the Longhorns simply decide to go in another direction, Horns247 has learned in recent days that Tulane’s David Pierce could become the top candidate for the job.

Pierce's time as a hitting coach at Houston and both a hitting and pitching coach at Rice, along with successful head coaching stints at Sam Houston State (three Southland Conference titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances in three seasons) and Tulane (regional appearances in each of his two seasons) give him ties to the state of Texas and success as a Division I head coach. Pierce’s season at Tulane ended last weekend. That makes him available to meet with Texas if it decided to move in that direction.



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