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COLLEGE BASEBALL: Notre Dame's Jarrett named new head coach at Florida State

Jun. 24—What was long rumored became official Friday morning, as Link Jarrett will be leaving Notre Dame to take over as the new head coach of the Florida State baseball program.

The news was first reported by ESPN's Pete Thamel. FSU then made it official with a press release around 9 a.m.

Jarrett is a 1994 graduate of Florida State. He was a two-time All-American shortstop for the Seminoles during his playing days, helping FSU reach the College World Series in three of the four seasons he was a player.

"I think that Link is the finest coach in the game today, and that opinion is held by many in college baseball," Florida State athletic director Michael Alford said in the release. "We could not be more pleased that he will be leading our program. 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."

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Jarrett spent the last three years leading the Fighting Irish, revitalizing a once-dormant program. He posted an 11-2 record in the COVID-shortened 2020 season before going 34-13 in 2021 and 41-17 this past season.

In 2021, he led Notre Dame to an ACC regular season championship and the No. 10 national seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Irish would win their home regional in dominant fashion before losing a tough three-game series at No. 7 Mississippi State in the super regional.

Jarrett would guide the program a step further in 2022, taking them to its first College World Series appearance since 2002. Having to go on the road for the first two weekends of the tournament, Notre Dame would go 3-0 in the Statesboro regional before pulling off an upset of No. 1 Tennessee, taking two of three games from the Volunteers in the super regional in Knoxville.

After winning their first game of the CWS, though, the Irish would lose to Oklahoma and Texas A&M to bring an end to their season.

Overall, Jarrett posted an 86-32 record during his time in South Bend.

"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 in a statement. "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."

Jarrett began his coaching journey in 1999 at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida. He then spent a year as an assistant under his former coach in Mike Martin Sr. at FSU before going to Mercer for the 2004 and 2005 seasons.

Following his time at Mercer, Jarrett spent four years as an assistant at East Carolina. He then moved into the SEC, spending three years as an assistant at Auburn before he'd get his first chance to be a Division-I head coach at UNC-Greensboro.

While at Greensboro, he led the Spartans to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 20 years, making the postseason in 2017. He went 215-166 in seven seasons there, winning Southern Conference coach of the year honors twice.

Jarrett replaces Mike Martin Jr., who was fired on June 10 after just three seasons with the Seminoles and a 77-54 record. As soon as Martin Jr. was let go, rumors of Florida State targeting Jarrett as their next manager began to circulate.

"I'm humbled to become the next Head Coach at Florida State," said Jarrett in a statement. "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."

Austin Hough can be reached at austin.hough@goshennews.com or at 574-538-2360. Follow him on Twitter at @AustinHoughTGN.