Utah State coach Jerrod Calhoun is returning to Cincinnati to lead the Bearcats after his March Madness run came to an end.
Utah State made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament as a No. 9 seed but fell to No. 1 seed Arizona, ending their season. That loss also ended Jerrod Calhoun’s time as coach of the Aggies.
Calhoun has agreed to a six-year deal to become the next coach at Cincinnati, according to Matt Norlander of CBS Sports. The 44-year-old coach guided Utah State to back-to-back appearances in March Madness, but has been rumored to be interested in the job at his alma mater for weeks.
Calhoun began his career as a student assistant at Cincinnati under former coach Bob Huggins, and this wasn’t an opportunity he could pass up. He went 55-15 in two seasons at Utah State and continued the trend of jumping from mid-major programs to the power conferences, joining arguably the best conference in college basketball with the Big 12.
The Bearcats fired Wes Miller two weeks ago after Cincinnati failed to make the NCAA tournament in each of his five seasons leading the program. Calhoun’s resume and connection to the school made him instantly the top candidate for the job. The Bearcats haven’t made the tournament since 2019, when current UCLA coach Mick Cronin was leading the charge.
More News: John Calipari Makes Bold Statement About Arkansas’ Key Duo
More News: Texas’ Jordan Pope Reveals What Fueled Run to Sweet Sixteen
Kansas State was also in the running for Calhoun, but when he didn’t engage with the offer, it became clear where he was going next. Calhoun’s experience at Youngstown State and Utah State gives him a record of 173-121 as a Division I coach. His buyout is believed to be around $4 million to leave Utah State.
Cincinnati is preparing to increase its NIL pool to more than $8 million before next season, according to Norlander, giving Calhoun plenty of resources to start a rebuild and hopefully make it back to the tournament soon.
Source: Utah News