When Texas suspended Chris Beard without pay following his Dec. 12 arrest on a felony family violence charge, it appeared to be the first step toward an eventual parting of ways. That came Thursday, when Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte announced the school was firing Beard and that associate head coach Rodney Terry, who has been the acting head coach since Beard was suspended, will remain in charge for the rest of the season.
ESPN’s Myron Medcalf reported in mid-December that the legal process for Beard could take more than a year to reach its conclusion, but Texas has chosen to act quickly and begin the process to find its next head coach.
When Beard was hired just 21 months ago, he was the clear top candidate for the Longhorns. He graduated from Texas and was a student manager under Tom Penders. He also achieved tremendous success at conference rival Texas Tech, going to the Elite Eight in 2018 and reaching the national championship game in 2019.
Here’s what you need to know about what might be next in Austin:
Will Texas be the best job on the market this spring? How does the position stack up nationally?
Given the expected hot seat jobs and potential openings, it’s hard to imagine a better job being available at any point over the next couple of months. Texas has one of the biggest athletic department budgets in the country, recently opened a new state-of-the-art home arena and is the flagship school of arguably the most talent-rich state in the country.
Although it’s a football-first school, there are expectations, however. Shaka Smart felt the heat relatively quickly after taking over in Austin and, had he not left for Marquette, might have been let go despite earning a No. 3 seed in the 2021 NCAA tournament. History and tradition don’t run quite as deep at Texas as some other big programs; the Longhorns have never won an NCAA title and have competed in just one Final Four since 1947.
It might be worth noting the school is moving to the SEC within the next couple of years, where it will be competing with more schools with similar budgets.
Who should be on the receiving end of Del Conte’s first phone calls?
When Smart left, Beard was the obvious replacement. This time around, it’s not as clear.
The biggest names in the sport are likely to have some level of interest in this job. It’s worth testing the waters for Kentucky‘s John Calipari and Baylor‘s Scott Drew. Calipari isn’t under threat of being fired — he’s owed nearly $50 million — but the pressure on him has undoubtedly increased after going 9-16 in 2021, losing to 15-seed Saint Peter’s Peacocks last season and starting 10-4 this season. It’s unclear if Drew would listen if Texas called, but he has been the architect of one of the greatest rebuilding jobs in college sports history and won the national championship in 2021.
Kelvin Sampson is another obvious name to call. He has had plenty of success at Houston, going to the Final Four in 2021, the Elite Eight last season and has the Cougars near the top of the rankings yet again. He’s considered by many to be the best pure basketball coach in the country. At the same time, Houston is going to the Big 12 in July and Sampson and his family are comfortable at Houston.
It wouldn’t be a shock to see Purdue‘s Matt Painter or Virginia‘s Tony Bennett receive calls, but they seem like odd fits and there are doubts either one would have any interest. The same goes for former Villanova coach Jay Wright.
If Texas’ top picks say no, who would be next on the list?
A couple of future SEC rivals make sense. Nate Oats has done a terrific job at Alabama since taking over in 2019, leading the Crimson Tide to an SEC regular-season championship in 2021 and guiding them into the top 10 this season. Oats’ buyout is substantial, though, reportedly around $10 million.
Eric Musselman has seemingly mastered the modern era of the transfer portal and short-term roster construction, leading Arkansas to back-to-back Elite Eight appearances. He also landed the second-ranked recruiting class in the country in 2022.
Don’t be surprised to see Auburn‘s Bruce Pearl or Illinois‘ Brad Underwood linked to the job at some point. Pearl turned around the Tigers very quickly, leading them to the 2019 Final Four and the SEC regular-season championship last season. He has the energy to get the fan base on his side. Underwood and the Fighting Illini have struggled over the past month, but if they can turn it around, he’s still a coach who won 31 Big Ten games over the past two seasons, including a regular-season title in 2022.
Brooklyn Nets assistant coach Royal Ivey interviewed for the vacancy back in 2021 and he’ll likely still be in the mix. Ivey played on Texas’ 2003 Final Four team and then spent a decade in the NBA — and he would likely have the support of Texas’ former basketball stars.
A few other names to at least mention: Missouri‘s Dennis Gates, whose Tigers have been one of the biggest surprises in the country this season; Kansas State‘s Jerome Tang, who led the Wildcats to a record-setting performance on Texas’ homecourt earlier this week; and Oregon‘s Dana Altman, widely considered a vastly underrated coach — but the Ducks have underachieved each of the past two seasons.
What about Rodney Terry? Does he have a legitimate chance?
You can’t write off Terry, who is 5-1 since being named acting head coach. Texas has a roster capable of reaching the Final Four and competing for a national championship. The Longhorns blew out Gonzaga earlier this season and own wins over Creighton and Oklahoma. If Terry guides them deep into the dance, it would be difficult to let him go. He has plenty of experience as a head coach, spending seven years at Fresno State and three at UTEP, and he is also very familiar with the inner workings of Texas, having spent nine seasons as an assistant coach under Rick Barnes from 2002 to 2011.
It’s worth remembering Texas has a top-10 recruiting class coming to Austin next season, headlined by top-10 prospect Ron Holland and top-25 recruit A.J. Johnson. Terry would help keep that duo together.