The Florida State baseball program has landed the 10th head coach in the storied history of the program, tabbing Notre Dame's Link Jarrett to take over after he led the Irish to the 2022 College World Series.
According to sources at FSU and close to Jarrett, the former Seminole star has agreed to return to FSU, where he started for four years at shortstop and also coached as an assistant in 2003.
*ALSO SEE: Financial details of Link Jarrett's contract with FSU
(UPDATE: The university officially announced the hiring of Link Jarrett this morning. See full press release at bottom of article.)
Terms of the deal have not been announced, but Warchant has learned Jarrett agreed to a seven-year contract.
A native of Tallahassee, Jarrett is set to take over at FSU after leading Notre Dame to a 41-17 record and being named National Coach of the Year, having already won ACC Coach of the Year the season prior.
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With 10 years of head coaching experience and 23 years overall at the collegiate level, Jarrett comes to FSU after leading the Irish to just their third CWS appearance in school history. A Super Regional appearance in 2021 and an 11-2 season in 2020, cut short due to COVID-19, ended Jarrett's stint in South Bend with an impressive 86-32 record.
Before his time at Notre Dame, Jarrett was the head coach of UNC-Greensboro for seven years, posting four straight winning seasons in the second half of his career there and a 215-166 overall record.
As an assistant, Jarrett enjoyed stops at FSU, Auburn, East Carolina, Flagler and Mercer across 13 seasons.
During his career at FSU, Jarrett was entrenched as a starter at shortstop for all four seasons between 1991-1994, playing in 276 games for FSU in what was a golden era of the baseball program.
The 'Noles went 57-14, 49-21, 46-19 and 53-22 while reaching the College World Series three times during his career. Jarrett posted a .278 batting average with 275 hits, 165 runs scored and 122 RBIs.
Jarrett becomes the fifth straight FSU alum and former player to be hired by the Seminoles as head coach, joining Woody Woodward, Dick Howser, NCAA Baseball's all-time winningest head coach Mike Martin, and Mike Martin Jr.
Link Jarrett Coaching Bio:
2022: Notre Dame (Head Coach)
2021: Notre Dame (Head Coach)
2020: Notre Dame (Head Coach)
2019: UNC-Greensboro (Head Coach)
2018: UNC-Greensboro (Head Coach)
2017: UNC-Greensboro (Head Coach)
2016: UNC-Greensboro (Head Coach)
2015: UNC-Greensboro (Head Coach)
2014: UNC-Greensboro (Head Coach)
2013: UNC-Greensboro (Head Coach)
2012: Auburn (Assistant)
2011: Auburn (Assistant)
2010: Auburn (Assistant)
2009: East Carolina (Assistant)
2008: East Carolina (Assistant)
2007: East Carolina (Assistant)
2006: East Carolina (Assistant)
2005: Mercer (Assistant)
2004: Mercer (Assistant)
2003: Florida State (Assistant)
2001: Flagler (Assistant)
2000: Flagler (Assistant)
1999: Flagler (Assistant)
Here's the full release from FSU:
Link Jarrett, a two-time National Coach of the Year at Notre Dame and a 1994 Florida State graduate, was named the 10th head baseball coach in FSU history Friday by Vice President and Director of Athletics Michael Alford. The Tallahassee native has 10 years of head coaching experience, including the last three at Notre Dame, where he led the Fighting Irish to the 2022 College World Series for just the third time in school history.
Jarrett will be formally introduced at a press conference Monday, June 27 at 10:30 a.m. Fans will be able to view a stream of the press conference live on Seminoles.com.
“I think that Link is the finest coach in the game today, and that opinion is held by many in college baseball. We could not be more pleased that he will be leading our program,” said Alford. “He has been a proven winner at each of his coaching stops.
“His teams have not only posted historically successful seasons, but they have also mirrored Link’s tradition of running a first-class program. He is well-known for his record of developing players everywhere he has coached.
“He’s a Seminole through and through and there is no question that he will dedicate himself to the success of our student-athletes and his team. I know he is excited to be returning home and we are just as excited to welcome him and his family.”
Under Jarrett, Notre Dame went 86-32 (.729), the second-best winning percentage in the country in that span. Notre Dame’s 44-21 record in the Atlantic Coast Conference was the best in the league.
Jarrett was the 2021 ACC Coach of the Year and the D1Baseball National Coach of the Year. This season, after leading the Irish to a 41-17 record and a College World Series berth, Jarrett was named the NCBWA Mike Martin Coach of the Year.
“It has been an absolute privilege to represent Notre Dame which truly is one of the finest academic and athletic institutions in the country,” said Jarrett. “I want to thank Father Jenkins, Jack Swarbrick, Jody Sadler and the entire Notre Dame administration for all of their support during my time at Notre Dame. I want to thank all of our student-athletes for their tireless work ethic and dedication to our baseball program. Their accomplishments on and off the field are something I will cherish for the rest of my life. To the entire Notre Dame family and community, thank you for welcoming and supporting my family, you are truly first-class in every manner.
“I’m humbled to become the next Head Coach at Florida State. Having the opportunity to come home and lead this storied program is something I take great pride in. FSU is a special place to our family and I’m excited to be the next leader of Seminole Baseball. Our goals will be simple – to achieve on the field, in the classroom and embrace the FSU family and community. I know the expectations from our fans and we expect to compete for ACC and National Championships.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Link Jarrett back to his alma mater,” said FSU President Richard McCullough. “His proven and outstanding track record as a head coach makes him an excellent choice to lead our storied baseball program.”
Jarrett earned his bachelor’s degree in communication from Florida State in 1994. Jarrett and his wife, Jennifer – a former cheerleader at Florida State – have two children, J.T. a five-year baseball starter and 2002 Graduate in Sports Management, Business Leadership Development from NC State and Dawson, currently a junior at the University of Alabama majoring in Apparel and Textiles, Fashion Retailing.
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