College baseball insider weighs in on Kevin O’Sullivan, Clemson talk

Shortly after the firing of head baseball coach Monte Lee, an insider explained one big name would not be part of Clemson‘s coaching search. D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers explained the upsides of taking the Clemson coaching job, while ruling out Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan as a potential candidate.

O’Sullivan was a former assistant coach with the Tigers from 1999-07 — something that Rogers says will not matter in this coaching search.

Clemson baseball begins coaching search

“I think Clemson is a great job. Good school, big fan base, close that Marietta County circuit/recruiting ground, tradition, strong facilities. It checks every box — but Clemson needs to pay like it IS a premier job,” said Rogers. “As good of a job that Clemson is, Kevin O’Sullivan WILL not be a candidate. I can tell you with certainty that one isn’t happening.”

Clemson made the decision official that Lee would no longer be their coach just one day after they missed the NCAA Tournament for the second season in a row. Lee took over the program in 2015 from Jack Leggett, and finished with a career record of 242-136 with the Tigers. Under Lee, Clemson reached the NCAA Tournament four times, but failed to do so in either of the past two years.

“Monte and his staff have been nothing but professional in their approach to Clemson Baseball, and we appreciate the manner in which they’ve represented Clemson University,” said athletic director Graham Neff of the decision.

“The expectations for Clemson Baseball are very high, and the team’s recent on-field performance has not met those of our administration, our coaching staff, our student-athletes, or our loyal fanbase,” Neff added. “Clemson Baseball is a proud program, and we, as a department, are committed to doing all we can to return our program to national prominence. We will work with our student-athletes to ensure that the transition process is successful.”