While the news has been largely good for the Florida State baseball team so far this offseason, the FSU coaching staff has reportedly taken a hit.

UCF Rivals site UCFSports.com reported Monday morning and the Osceola confirmed that the Knights are expected to hire FSU assistant coach/recruiting coordinator Rich Wallace as their new head coach to replace Greg Lovelady, who was let go at the end of the 2023 season.

For Wallace, it's a chance to return to his alma mater and hometown as an Orlando native after just one season on the FSU staff. He was a freshman All-American at UCF in 2000, hitting .380 with a .529 on-base percentage. Wallace began his coaching career at UCF and also made stops at High Point, Creighton and Jacksonville before spending the last four seasons on Link Jarrett's staff, first at Notre Dame from 2020 through 2022 and then at FSU this past season.

Wallace's departure leaves a vacancy on Jarrett's staff alongside himself and pitching coach Chuck Ristano, breaking up this trio which had been together for the past four seasons at Notre Dame and FSU.

Before Wallace took the job, FSU took three transfers off the UCF roster in shortstop Drew Faurot and pitchers Jacob Marlowe and Cam Leiter. While it's yet unclear if this staff change could affect any of the transfer or high-school commits in FSU's class, it bears mentioning that Jarrett has taken an active role in these recruitments, perhaps for exactly this reason.

Jarrett will actually have to make two new coach hires this offseason as the long-desired change which allows programs to have four paid coaches goes into effect in July. Current volunteer assistant Brad Vanderglas could be a possible candidate for that new third assistant spot should Jarrett want to keep it in the family and not make two outside hires this offseason.

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