Michael Earley is 'living a dream' as Texas A&M's head baseball coach

News broke on Sunday morning that Michael Earley will become the 21st head baseball coach in Texas A&M history. Before he's formally introduced to the 12th Man on Tuesday, Earley sat down with TexAgs for an exclusive interview as he takes the reins of Aggie baseball.

Key notes from Michael Earley interview

• It has been a lot, but I have loved every second of it. I’m getting to know everyone in the community, and I have a ton of unread text messages to return. I’ve been getting to know my players, and we’ve been grinding all morning and all night until we get this thing done.
   
• When I was waiting to meet about the job, I actually slept well because I felt good about it. Last night, I did not sleep well because, for the first time in my life, I have so many people to worry about. I am worried about making sure everyone else is OK. It's challenging, but I love it.
   
• I got reached out to about interviewing for the job, and I talked about it with my wife. I decided it was something I wanted to do, and it happened really fast. I talked to Trev Alberts, and it went really well. I was coming back to College Station to see my family, so I got to meet with him in person. So many people were reaching out, and it was a whirlwind. Combine all of that with the fact that I still haven’t gotten over losing the national championship game. I probably never will get over that. In them reaching out, I told them everything about where my vision for this program and team are headed, and I think they loved that. Here we are today.
   
• I have been public about how we feel about the community and the university. I moved from Phoenix, Arizona. It’s quite the change. When I first came here, I didn't want to come, to be honest. It was so different for me. It was such a big change. I got about a month in, and I’m like, “Wow. These people are some of the most genuine people I have ever met in my life.”
   
• Growing up a college baseball fan, my dream job, to be truthful, was to be the head coach at LSU. About six months in, I remember telling my wife, “My dream is to be here.” Every day I have been here, I have been preparing to be the head coach at Texas A&M. Period. Did I think it would happen now? No.
   
• I have had other head coaching opportunities. I had a few this year. My plan was to build a program somewhere else and come back to Texas A&M. My sights have always been on this job. Always.
   
• The run this season was unbelievable. All the different possible things that happened. You lost Braden Montgomery and Shane Sdao. Kaeden Kent stepped up like you knew he could. He just needed that chance. It was unbelievable. There are so many times that your heart sinks, and it rises again. Even in that last inning, it shows you who we are. There is no quit, and we’re going to grind until the last out. We just ran out of time, and Tennessee was a really good baseball team. Think about Caden Sorrell’s lineout the inning before. Baseball is such an awesome and miserable sport at the same time. What those guys did will never be forgotten, and how they did it was impressive because a lot of guys were hurt. Even Jace LaViolette was super banged up. In the regular season, he doesn’t play for two weeks. It was a special group, and you could see the bond from a mile away. Combine a bond like that with elite talent, and that’s how you end up where we were.
   
• I have been a part of this program and have seen what it takes to be successful. Texas A&M baseball has never been in a better spot. The momentum we have, I want to keep that going. I have had a front-row seat. The players were a big part of it. There will be things I do differently. The structure we had was really good. The culture we had was really good. I know I was a part of that, and I expect to keep it the exact same and always try to make it better. It’s been crazy.
   
• I am not sleeping, which is completely fine. I don't need to right now. I will take a big fat nap in December. I enjoy talking to players on the phone, getting them in the office and getting to know people.
   
• My interview was pretty simple. I spoke from the heart on how I felt about this program and the direction I wanted to continue to keep it in. In the end, momentum, momentum, momentum, and we need to keep this ship rolling.
   
• It got leaked before I ever got the job, and my wife was crying. I had to tell her to stop because I didn’t have the job. When I actually got the job, she cried again. She was so happy. She has been in this thing and has been living with me since I was playing high-A baseball for the White Sox. My son Marshall has been through the roof, and he has always wanted me to be a head coach. The kids were so happy. They love it here. They love the schools here, and they love their friends. Marshall is so excited that he does not have to go play for another baseball team.
   
• The jobs I passed up publicly and some of the ones I had gotten wind of... I always said I would take the right situation. Obviously, this is the perfect situation. I am super happy. I have always had a feeling about this place.
   
• The player support publicly means everything to me. I think they know that I love them. I care about them way more than the baseball. I am so invested in the relationships. I’m not their friend, but I’m friends with them when they're done. I was never going to pry and push my way in, but the players opened the door for me. I ran through it. I’m so appreciative of them.
   
• That 2022 team, I love them to death. I would do anything for them way more than just baseball. Things like that are why I do this job. I love relationships, and I love winning.
   
• To see all the support from the generations means a ton because this program is about the players. It has never been about me or another coach. The program belongs to the players. I’ve gotten texts from guys who I knew who they were, but I didn’t know they knew who I was. You cannot play without players, so them using their voice is something I appreciate a ton.
   
• I had a model I wanted to go off of. Tony Vitello is a great coach, so I followed a similar model to how he built his staff: Around the same age and in the SEC for the first time. I was looking for a guy who had been a head coach but who was also a pitching coach. I was looking for a hitting guy who was similar to me but also recruited.
   
• It’s no secret I was set to become the next recruiting coordinator here if anything happened. That will be more of a role I have as a head coach. I needed someone with the same hitting style but also a recruiting coordinator. The last part I needed was an elite infield guy. All those things are getting wrapped up. There are a couple of other things getting wrapped up. We are in really good shape. I love the team around me.
   
• About 97 percent of my phone usage has been focused on player acquisition. There was a point where other programs were trying to raid our roster. There are some players I’m still talking to, but the bulk of it, we’re in good shape. We’re going to lose some guys, but we’re going to gain some guys. Matthew Bergevin was immediately in. We’re going to get the guys that want to be here, and we’re going to be great.
   
• Going to Omaha puts you at an extremely large disadvantage. You can’t have visits. Phone calls are great, but while you are playing, even though you tell every kid on the phone, “Hang with me. We are still playing.” They are with the other schools face to face. They get pressured by those coaches. The more you win and the farther you get, the bigger the disadvantage is.
   
• We got eliminated early a year ago. It helped us in the transfer portal. I wish we would have gone to Omaha, but our roster is in good shape already.
   
• I always think of Blue Bell Park as a Fenway Park or Wrigley Field when it comes to tradition and atmosphere. Alberts and the athletic department are still on “go,” and nothing has changed when it comes to the facility upgrades. Player development facilities are big for me. An expansion would be incredible, but I’m worried about the here and now.
   
• Whenever I come in the gym with y'all, we just talk baseball. I haven't worked out in a week. I was in there in the mornings in Omaha.
   
• I’m living a dream. It’s a lot of a dream right now, but I’m enjoying every second. I haven’t gotten stressed once. No anxiety. I’m tying up loose ends and doing my job. I know exactly what I signed up for, and I promise you, I am built for it.
   
• I will never forget getting this head coaching job, and my family will never forget it. I know the responsibility that comes with it. We are fully invested in doing everything we can to take this program to the highest we can every single year. I am fully aware it will not be all roses. It will be tough, but it's what I signed up for. There will be way more good than bad.
   
• Everything will be great. I'm super excited. I cannot tell you how excited I am just to do this. It's going to be sweet.