Sunday night, Coach Brian O’Connor was named the head coach at Mississippi State as confirmed through a team message shared with The Cavalier Daily. It was, to many, a shocking move. Many couldn’t help but think of the fact that Virginia recently lost another legendary coach, Tony Bennett of men’s basketball, just eight months ago to retirement.
But unlike Bennett with men’s basketball, O’Connor established the very foundation of his program. There was no Terry Holland to pave the way. Rather, O’Connor took a program that was on the brink of being cut and turned it into a national powerhouse. He sent over 100 former Cavaliers to the MLB Draft. He won 917 games across 22 seasons. Brian O’Connor defined Virginia baseball as it is known today. Carla Williams, Director of Athletics, said so herself.
“He established Virginia Baseball as the model for everything important to this community, including his incredible development of young men on and off the field and his commitment to integrity, hard work and academics,” Williams said in a press release.
And now, O’Connor departs for an SEC program, one with a storied legacy and cult-like fanbase.
“Mississippi State represents everything I love about college baseball — tradition, passion and a relentless pursuit of excellence,” O’Connor said in a written statement posted by Mississippi State.
O’Connor’s attraction to the Bulldogs is reasonable. Mississippi State boats elite facilities, a large fanbase and competes in the rigorous, prestigious SEC. The Bulldogs’ stadium has a seating capacity almost three times larger than Virginia’s, plus 41 NCAA Tournament appearances throughout program history — compared to just 21 by the Cavaliers.
But still, another thought immediately rises — why leave Virginia, and why now?
After all, O’Connor has been eyed by SEC teams several times before. Over the past five years, he had reportedly been considered by LSU, Texas and Texas A&M — all supergiants of college baseball, several tiers above Mississippi State — and declined. O’Connor’s longtime mentor, former Notre Dame and LSU Coach Paul Mainieri, took to the “Jerry Ratcliffe Show” podcast in 2021 and emphasized O’Connor’s commitment to Virginia.
“I wish I could have talked him into leaving Virginia to come and replace me at LSU, but he wouldn’t bite,” Mainieri said. “You know, he loves it where he’s at, he loves Virginia, and he wants to be the coach of Virginia, nowhere else.”
Clearly, something has changed over the past few years. Some argue that this something, whatever it is, may have more to do with Virginia than with SEC suitors. Class of 2024 alumnus Jacob Tisdale leaned into the popular theory that insufficient scholarship funding and a lack of funding for midweek travel — issues that most SEC programs seldom deal with — played a role in O’Connor’s departure.
“While I will wish him well at Mississippi State and am forever grateful for the memories and successes, I am unable to shake an air of bitter disappointment at the matter of scholarship funding, NIL opportunities or simply seeing a higher ceiling in Starkville,” Tisdale said in a written statement.
Neither O’Connor nor Virginia publicly cited a lack of resources, although media analysts have theorized such. In the age of NIL, student-athletes are looking to earn money. If they cannot do that as a Cavalier, it is entirely possible that they may aim to do so elsewhere. Fourth-year College student Eli Bardash argued that without O’Connor, star players would leave — even if they have ties to Charlottesville or the Commonwealth.
Since O’Connor’s move was announced, several Cavaliers have entered the transfer portal. That list includes stars such as sophomore utilityman Henry Ford — a Charlottesville native — sophomore infielder Eric Becker, junior outfielder Aidan Teel, junior utilityman Chris Arroyo and freshman pitcher Tomas Valincius, plus others. The list will continue to grow.
“Henry Ford, the pride of Charlottesville, who had been committed to U.Va. for forever, has entered the transfer portal, with eyes to leave his hometown in search of greener pastures,” Bardash said. “Charlottesville used to be those greener pastures, and Coach O’Connor and his reputation was one of the main reasons for that.”
O’Connor’s decision impacts far more people than just himself, or even specific portalers. He is taking Virginia’s key senior leadership with him — most notably, associate head coach Kevin McMullan, who could have been a viable replacement option for Virginia.
“I’m sure I am not alone among Hoos in feeling betrayed that our coach of 22 years, the person who brought U.Va. a national championship 10 years ago, just up and left after one year below expectations,” Bardash said. “Cavalier baseball has had great success over the last two decades, and Coach O’Connor will be missed, but this is not the farewell we deserved.”
As of Thursday, Virginia Athletics has yet to release any statement from O'Connor.
“I know that the University should have met any demand O’Connor set,” Tisdale said. The inability to retain a world-class coach for any reason other than his own personal desire to start anew can only be read as a failure by the department.”
Williams and company must now appoint a successor — but with the NCAA Tournament still going on, it may take a few weeks for a new coach to be announced.
“Our national search began moments after he informed me of his decision on Sunday evening and we are making significant progress,” Williams said. “With the tremendous support from our donors and fans over the last two decades, we look forward to hiring a head coach that will build upon the excellence that currently exists and continue competing for championships.”
Coaching search aside, for the time being, the Virginia faithful are left with no leader, very few players and a Brian O’Connor-sized hole in their hearts.
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