Report: Virginia’s Brian O’Connor, UCLA’s John Savage are top candidates for Texas baseball coaching position

With Kevin O'Sullivan agreeing to a new contract extension with the Florida Gators, the Texas Longhorns lost out on another potential next baseball coach. However, there are still two other names that are reportedly at the top of the list.

Virginia Cavaliers coach Brian O'Connor and UCLA Bruins coach John Savage are expected to be the top candidates to be the next baseball coach for the Longhorns, a source told Jeff Howe of Horns247.

O'Connor, a 45-year-old graduate of Creighton University, has been the head of Cavalier baseball since 2004. He has been to the College World Series four separate times, winning the national title in 2015.

According to Howe, he has been of interest to Texas since 2014, when resigned coach Augie Garrido first came under scrutiny. The source also believes that there is mutual interest between the two sides.

The 51-year-old Savage has not been a high-profile target in the early reports, but he could most definitely do the job. Savage was brought on to coach the UCLA Bruins before the 2005 campaign and in his time in Los Angeles, he has advanced to three College World Series. In 2013, Savage and the Bruins won the national championship.