Cincinnati Set to Hire Jerrod Calhoun as Head Coach

Cincinnati is reportedly ready to hire Jerrod Calhoun, currently the head coach at Utah State, as its next head coach, according to sources cited by ESPN on Monday.

This move marks a return to his roots for Calhoun, who hails from Ohio and earned his degree from Cincinnati in 2004. He began his coaching career at Cincinnati as a student assistant under Hall of Fame coach Bob Huggins during his senior year.

Calhoun recently guided Utah State to the second round of the NCAA tournament, where the team secured a victory over Villanova before being eliminated by Arizona on Sunday night.

During his two-year tenure at Utah State, Calhoun compiled an impressive record of 55-15, leading the Aggies to consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and securing both the Mountain West regular-season and conference tournament championships this season.

In the previous season, Utah State finished 26-8, earning a 10-seed in the NCAA tournament but lost to UCLA in the first round. This season, the Aggies started strong with a 23-3 record and clinched the outright Mountain West championship by defeating New Mexico on the final day of the regular season. They continued their success in the conference tournament, achieving three straight double-digit victories and earned a 9-seed on Selection Sunday.

In their NCAA tournament game against Villanova, Utah State showcased a strong offensive performance in the second half, including a pivotal 14-1 run that secured their win, with the team missing only two shots in the last 12:45 of the game.

Prior to his role at Utah State, Calhoun spent seven seasons at Youngstown State, improving the program that had finished above .500 in the Horizon League just once in the previous 16 years. His record there was 118-106, and he led the team to a regular-season championship in the 2022-23 season.

Calhoun's coaching experience also includes five years at Division II Fairmont State and a five-year stint as an assistant coach under Huggins at West Virginia from 2007 to 2012.

With Calhoun's departure, he becomes the fourth consecutive coach from Utah State to leave for another position after making an NCAA tournament appearance and spending three or fewer seasons with the Aggies. Previous coaches include Craig Smith, who moved to Utah after leading Utah State to two NCAA tournaments in three seasons; Ryan Odom, who left for VCU after two seasons and one tournament appearance; and Danny Sprinkle, who advanced to the second round of the 2024 NCAA tournament before accepting a position at Washington.

As a program, Utah State has made six NCAA tournament appearances in the last seven years and secured three Mountain West regular-season championships and three conference tournament titles over the past eight years.