USC fans must temper criticism of Texas baseball and Jim Schlossnagle for this reason

Just a day after his team's loss in the College World Series, Jim Schlossnagle was already en route to Austin. The head coach had previously assured reporters that Texas A&M was his final career stop, only to swiftly depart for Texas. This swift change of heart echoes the actions of Lincoln Riley in November 2021.

Like Schlossnagle, the current USC football head coach stated his intent to remain with Oklahoma...only to leave hours later.

"All of us are trying to make [Oklahoma] better, make this program better, and so you don't do that without working together and conversing with each other. So of course we're gonna continue to do that. We work well together, and we're going to keep working well together."

- Lincoln Riley

Riley's comments followed Oklahoma's loss to Oklahoma State and elimination from Big 12 title game contention. Hours later, Bob Stoops's successor was on a plane headed for Southern California.

I don't mean to judge Riley for making a decision he felt was best for his family. I'm also not chastising the head coach for his classic "coach speak" to the press following a game. Just imagine the reaction if Riley openly stated, "I'm the Oklahoma coach now, but I'm open to offers from USC." The media outrage would be epic.

One cannot fault the Texas Longhorns for hiring Schlossnagle. Like Troy, the standards of excellence in Austin are high. Thus, it is common for major programs to hire away successful coaches from other schools. Stealing Schlossnagle from College Station is a double-win for the Horns. Texas figures to see an immediate baseball boost while setting their rivals back.

Schlossnagle doing what he said he wouldn't do is Déjà vu.

I say all this to remind Trojans fans that USC poached a high-profile head coach, who said he wasn't leaving his former job, hours after his former team lost their final game. Schlossnagle did the same thing. The Trojans fired an underwhelming head coach and replaced him with a big hire from another big program. Texas did the same thing.

Thus, the Troy faithful are in no position to judge the situation.

Rumors are beginning to circulate that Schlossnagle had a handshake deal with the Texas Longhorns before the end of Texas A&M's season. If true, the Horns and Schloss violated NCAA rules while demonstrating unethical behavior. Some USC football fans might recall similar rumors regarding Riley's move to Los Angeles.

Proving such accusations in the gossip game is difficult, but I don't doubt that a university's "people" talk to a coach's "people" long before deals are agreed upon.

Schlossnagle's press conference tantrum is not okay.

Trojans fans are well within their right to criticize Schlossnagle for his insulting reaction to Aggies reporter Richard Zane. Of course, Zane was doing his job by asking the question on everyone's mind. Instead of taking the high road, Schlossnagle made a fool of himself and arrived in Austin with an egg on his face.

Lincoln Riley has tangled with media members in the past, but I don't recall him making headlines for publicly belittling a journalist.

Unfortunately, coach poaching will continue until the college athletics mega powers are satisfied. Thus, I find it impossible to judge student-athletes who hit the transfer portal. If coaches can abandon a program for a better paycheck, players are within their right to do the same.