Kevin O’Sullivan becomes highest paid college baseball coach

At the SEC meetings last spring Jeremy Foley made the comment that Kevin O’Sullivan, who was rumored to be the front-runner for the Texas head coach opening, would be with the Florida Gators for a long time.

O’Sullivan agreed to a $12.5 million dollar, 10-year extension with Florida, keeping him in Gainesville until 2025, that makes him the highest paid coach in the country, first reported by Kendall Rogers and later confirmed by the school.

O’Sullivan, 47, has the highest winning percentage (.677) of any coach in Florida baseball history. The Gators won a school-record 44 games last season on its way to the fifth College World Series appearance under Sully. The Gators have won three regular season SEC championships and two SEC Tournament championships under O’Sullivan and his 396 wins are third all-time in school history.

O’Sullivan’s extension announcement comes on the heels of Scoot Stricklin’s announcement as Florida’s new Athletic Director and the announcement of a $100 million dollar renovation project that will include McKethan Stadium and the baseball facilities. Stricklin served as Auburn’s baseball contact (1993-98) as an associate media relations director. He also oversaw a master plan to rebuild Mississippi State’s Duby Noble Field, a projected $40 million dollar renovation.

“I love college baseball. I’ve seen a lot of SEC baseball games from my roles in different schools in the past, and I’m really excited to work with Sully and what he’s got built here,” Stricklin said during his introductory press conference. “I’m looking forward to getting more details on what the vision is from the updating the baseball stadium. I think it’s a great sport; right? And Florida’s been really good at it, and I think we’re going to make sure this facility matches that.”

Nick de la Torre
A South Florida native, Nick developed a passion for all things sports at a very young age. His love for baseball was solidified when he saw Al Leiter’s no-hitter for the Marlins live in May of 1996. He was able to play baseball in college but quickly realized there isn’t much of a market for short, slow outfielders that hit around the Mendoza line. Wanting to continue with sports in some capacity he studied journalism at the University of Central Florida. Nick got his first start in the business as an intern for a website covering all things related to the NFL draft before spending two seasons covering the Florida football team at Bleacher Report. That job led him to GatorCountry. When he isn’t covering Gator sports, Nick enjoys hitting way too many shots on the golf course, attempting to keep up with his favorite t.v. shows and watching the Heat, Dolphins and Marlins. Follow him on twitter @NickdelatorreGC

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