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Link Jarrett opens up on history at Florida State, what it means to come back

Nikki Chavanelleby:Nikki Chavanelle•06/28/22•

NikkiChavanelle

notre dame link jarrett
(Notre Dame Athletics)

New Florida State head baseball coach Link Jarrett delivered the type of introductory press conference you would expect of a Tallahassee native returning to his roots. Right out of the gate, reporters asked the former Seminoles player-turned-DI head coach if he ever imagined taking the podium as the head coach at his alma mater.

“Yes, I did,” Jarrett responded simply, earning applause. “I played for the greatest coach in college baseball history and Jeff Hogan was a phenomenal high school coach, so those two motivated me to think the game and study the game. I envisioned one day, thinking about what it would be like to be the head coach at Florida State. Does that appear to line up with today’s world of college athletics? Did I really think that was a possibility? Faintly. But I had thought about it.”

The former Notre Dame skipper described the full circle moment he felt upon returning to Tallahassee but alluded to the one thing still missing – a national title. Florida State has reached Omaha 23 times without touching the championship trophy.

“I feel like I closed the circle and I feel an obligation to get these guys to perform at a championship level,” Jarrett said. “That’s what I felt when I walked into the stadium. How can we get this? How can we do this? This has brought me right back. The circle is closed but I don’t feel like I’ve filled in what’s missing on the inside of that.

“It’s very special to be able to stop by my parents’ house, pop in on them. Couldn’t do that from South Bend. It’s deeper than baseball. But I have to fill that circle in with a couple things that I lack.”

The Seminoles announced the 50-year-old would take over for former head coach Mike Martin Jr. on Friday and held the introductory press conference on Monday.

Jarrett took over at Notre Dame in 2020 after a successful run at UNC Greensboro. He has built an 86-32 record with his team over three seasons and made a Super Regional in 2021 before the College World Series appearance in 2022.

In 2021, Jarrett earned National Coach of the Year honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association on June 17. The award is named after Mike Martin Sr., his former coach.