…isn't the monster everyone on here said he was.

SCOOP: Some massive news for @TexasBaseball, as I’m told RHP Ruger Riojas, LHP Luke Harrison and RHP Max Grubbs will all opt out of the upcoming #MLBDraft and return to Austin for another season with the #Horns. Texas should be one of the title favorites in 2026. #HookEm #SEC pic.twitter.com/SF51cLtyWi

— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) July 9, 2025

They got paid too

Of course they did. All college athletes do. So why not go pro (and get paid) or transfer (and get paid) to get away from that monster?

You have a very strange definition of "everyone".

#sarcasm

I think it's great for the game. Love to see players return and spend as much time in college ball as possible.

Luke The Drifter said:

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…isn't the monster everyone on here said he was.

SCOOP: Some massive news for @TexasBaseball, as I’m told RHP Ruger Riojas, LHP Luke Harrison and RHP Max Grubbs will all opt out of the upcoming #MLBDraft and return to Austin for another season with the #Horns. Texas should be one of the title favorites in 2026. #HookEm #SEC pic.twitter.com/SF51cLtyWi

— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) July 9, 2025

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I don't recall anyone calling Max a monster, of course I mostly glossed over a lot of that thread so maybe I missed that bit. From what I recall, most were arguing he was not quite the "pitcher whisper" that he was portrayed to be. Of course my own bias might have skewed my take of that discussion.

IMO no coach can be a "be all and end all" to every player on the team. Players respond differently to different approaches. Win, anything negative often gets glossed over. Lose and it gets magnified. Two seasons ago Yeskie was largely a persona non grata in Baton Rouge.. This year the swamp kitties win a title, largely due to excellent pitching in the postseason, whelp maybe he isn't so bad after all.

Don't recall monster either. I just didn't like his lack of loyalty. But that's just a victim statement because he did what most people would have done. His results speak for themselves.

There were PLENTY of the "players hate him" and "parents hate him" and "I'm glad he's not at A&M anymore" and "he and the POS coach deserve each other" comments on this board all season long. It got worse once the sips were eliminated from the NCAAs.

What do you expect? Of course there is going to be "sour grapes" on our end. On the other hand, a year ago when all this went down, I recall the pitchers being the first players to nix any idea of following POS and by extension Max to Austin and before there was any discussion of either Earley or Cain as the possible replacement with the hopes of keeping the band together.

WGAF

I think monster is a strong word. Just because our guys didn't follow him , doesn't mean he is a monster. How many of our guys did he recruit to A&M? The recruits followed him to Austin. He is a different cat, but no monster.

I think Max is a great pitching coach who left the pros to be tied with our former coach. He is much less team sip or team Aggie than team Schloss. I think his dream is be a college baseball head coach and that Schloss is the best avenue for that.
I hold no ill will against him or Nolan Cain who I believe is in the same place.
Now as far as our former head coach, sorry but no bueno.

Harrison and Riojas live and die by the breaking ball. Take the same approach Arkansas did this past year and rock their stuff

Our pitchers main complaint was when it came to grips to get the desired outcome he was lacking. He knew what he wanted analytically but had problems teaching you how to get there.

Right now he's 2 for 2 for injuries in both seasons he has coached.

There are a lot of pitchers (ours and some from the sips) who feel like he's "a bro with a computer". He doesn't physically help and if his analytics can't help you improve, he kinda shrugs you off.

They don't like his attitude and lack of experience. I don't think anyone called him a monster. An ass, yes.

This is a really strange and misguided "I told you so"

Luke The Drifter said:

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There were PLENTY of the "players hate him" and "parents hate him" and "I'm glad he's not at A&M anymore" and "he and the POS coach deserve each other" comments on this board all season long. It got worse once the sips were eliminated from the NCAAs.

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And that still doesn't mean anyone called him a monster

You don't find it a bit suspicious that no pitchers followed him?

I'm with you trouble. I almost answered the OP with who are you and how did you hack Luke's account?

1991sir said:

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I think monster is a strong word. Just because our guys didn't follow him , doesn't mean he is a monster. How many of our guys did he recruit to A&M? The recruits followed him to Austin. He is a different cat, but no monster.

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And some of those recruits are in the portal too.

TAMU1990 said:

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Our pitchers main complaint was when it came to grips to get the desired outcome he was lacking. He knew what he wanted analytically but had problems teaching you how to get there.

Right now he's 2 for 2 for injuries in both seasons he has coached.

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Are you saying he contributed to their injury?

Some of ours left too…

Maybe I'm mis-remembering, but I believe maybe what you could be thinking of is after our former coach left in the fashion that he did, Max went to our pitchers houses the same day the news broke and tried to get them to follow them to that other school. I believe the story was " they slammed the door in his face".

If my memory is correct and that story is true, maybe that's where you got the "monster "and "didn't want to play for him " from?n

I'm saying he asks for a certain shape to a pitch. The twist of the arm that is needed to get the desired result is not good.

Probably for the same reasons. They were told to leave because they will not have a roster spot for them.

Y'all are picking nits. Whether folks called him a monster, an ass, an egomaniac, a know-it-all, or whatever…my point was folks have been quick to drag the guy through the mud since he left. There was TONS of talk on this board of how no pitchers (at A&M or Texas) liked him and how he didn't care about anyone but himself. My point is, if these TexAgs tales about Max were true, then why do these 3 top pitchers want to spurn the draft or transfer opportunities to return to his staff?

Luke The Drifter said:

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Y'all are picking nits. Whether folks called him a monster, an ass, an egomaniac, a know-it-all, or whatever…my point was folks have been quick to drag the guy through the mud since he left. There was TONS of talk on this board of how no pitchers (at A&M or Texas) liked him and how he didn't care about anyone but himself. My point is, if these TexAgs tales about Max were true, then why do these 3 top pitchers want to spurn the draft or transfer opportunities to return to his staff?

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i can think of $everal rea$on$.

like it or not, t.u. has the resource depth that can convince kids to stay, regardless of the pitching coach.
and yeah, Max reeks of superdewsh....but i also think he's pretty good at his day job too.

and let's not get into the NIL details relative to money....because if boosters and/or schools wanna get big money to certain players, they're gonna figure out a way to do it

those returning pitchers better not let him tinker with their sliders

Seriously, what is the point of your posts about this? Did you enjoy last summer when this board resembled the Zoo so you decided to stir the pot a bit? I'm starting to think maybe someone really did hack your account. As for Aggies not being thrilled with Max, reread my first post on this thread.

I also don't think it is too difficult to understand why players might opt for a blue blood program like t.u. even if it has "egotistical a-holes" as part of its coaching staff. Bama had an "egotistical a-hole" lead its football program for 15+ season and had little problem recruiting and retaining players.

Luke The Drifter said:

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Y'all are picking nits. Whether folks called him a monster, an ass, an egomaniac, a know-it-all, or whatever…my point was folks have been quick to drag the guy through the mud since he left. There was TONS of talk on this board of how no pitchers (at A&M or Texas) liked him and how he didn't care about anyone but himself. My point is, if these TexAgs tales about Max were true, then why do these 3 top pitchers want to spurn the draft or transfer opportunities to return to his staff?

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Dude
Who cares? You sound like your feelings got hurt and you're emotionally attached to Max.

Luke The Drifter said:

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Y'all are picking nits. Whether folks called him a monster, an ass, an egomaniac, a know-it-all, or whatever…my point was folks have been quick to drag the guy through the mud since he left. There was TONS of talk on this board of how no pitchers (at A&M or Texas) liked him and how he didn't care about anyone but himself. My point is, if these TexAgs tales about Max were true, then why do these 3 top pitchers want to spurn the draft or transfer opportunities to return to his staff?

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Idk why its bash Luke day. Y'all sure forgot a lot of what you said in the moment apparently.

But, shoe on the other foot Luke, the question could be asked why is our football recruiting lighting it up to come play for Bateman? It sure ain't his personality that's drawing them in either.

I know its not exactly the same but these days you basically do have to recruit even current players.

TAMU1990 said:

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I'm saying he asks for a certain shape to a pitch. The twist of the arm that is needed to get the desired result is not good.

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So just "yes" would have answered my question.

No doubt Max is a good pitching coachprobably one of the best in college baseball right now. That's his job now at t.u., and he does it well. The development and loyalty of his pitchers speak for themselves. But if he left now again to A&M, probably those three players would still stay at t.u., just like most of our players did last year. And t.u. fans would call him whatever they want to call.

Let's be real: a lot of the hate isn't about his personality or whether he's a "monster." It's because he left A&M for t.u. Period. If he had taken the same job at some random SEC school, most of this "he's an egomaniac" talk wouldn't exist. The rivalry colors everything.

Fans expect loyalty to the school, not just to a program or sport. When someone leaves for rival school, emotions run hot. It's not about hating success; it's about who he chose to succeed with.

Agscgu said:

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No doubt Max is a good pitching coachprobably one of the best in college baseball right now. That's his job now at t.u., and he does it well. The development and loyalty of his pitchers speak for themselves. But if he left now again to A&M, probably those three players would still stay at t.u., just like most of our players did last year. And t.u. fans would call him whatever they want to call.

Let's be real: a lot of the hate isn't about his personality or whether he's a "monster." It's because he left A&M for t.u. Period. If he had taken the same job at some random SEC school, most of this "he's an egomaniac" talk wouldn't exist. The rivalry colors everything.

Fans expect loyalty to the school, not just to a program or sport. When someone leaves for rival school, emotions run hot. It's not about hating success; it's about who he chose to succeed with.

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Nah, he's a ****** no matter what.

waco_aggie05 said:

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Luke The Drifter said:

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Y'all are picking nits. Whether folks called him a monster, an ass, an egomaniac, a know-it-all, or whatever…my point was folks have been quick to drag the guy through the mud since he left. There was TONS of talk on this board of how no pitchers (at A&M or Texas) liked him and how he didn't care about anyone but himself. My point is, if these TexAgs tales about Max were true, then why do these 3 top pitchers want to spurn the draft or transfer opportunities to return to his staff?

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Idk why its bash Luke day. Y'all sure forgot a lot of what you said in the moment apparently.

But, shoe on the other foot Luke, the question could be asked why is our football recruiting lighting it up to come play for Bateman? It sure ain't his personality that's drawing them in either.

I know its not exactly the same but these days you basically do have to recruit even current players.

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I don't follow football recruiting, TBH. I still like Aggie football a lot, but outside of about 4 hours on 12 Saturdays a year, I don't pay attention to it like I used to. I guess it's the malaise of overhyped coaches, going 8-4 every year, and failing to capitalize on the Johnny Football / new stadium that has me pretty apathetic regarding the football program. I have much more fun these days following baseball, basketball, and the "non-revenue" sports than I do following football.

And thanks for having my back. There are clearly lots of folks who have quickly forgotten all of their "I'm glad Max is gone" and "all of his pitchers and their parents actually hate him" comments over the past 13 months.