Texas Basketball: 5 potential replacements for Shaka Smart as head coach

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Shaka Smart of the Texas Longhorns gestures during the championship game of the 2018 Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational basketball tournament against the Michigan State Spartans at the Orleans Arena on November 23, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Michigan State defeated Texas 78-68. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images) /

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – FEBRUARY 15: Head coach LaVall Jordan of the Butler Bulldogs (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

3. LaVall Jordan

Now we have transitioned to the candidates that will need a little more convincing to head to UT.

Butler has been another one of the top teams in the country this season, at one point sitting in the top five of the rankings. The Bulldogs have been a fixture in the top-25 since December.

Jordan is in the third year of his tenure at Butler, a tenure in which the Bulldogs have made the tournament once. They’ll certainly be a top-five seed this year, due to the developmental abilities of Jordan, who has played a big role in molding players such as Kamar Baldwin and Nate Thompson into big-time impact makers.

In a wild Big East conference, Jordan’s coaching has kept the Bulldogs consistent throughout. While he doesn’t get much of the credit, the Bulldogs are bringing in another Top-25 recruiting class in 2020, which will make for another nice crop of young talent in Indy.

Between his on-court coaching, his recruiting, and his player development, Jordan is the perfect safe candidate for del Conte and Texas. The Longhorns cannot miss on this hire, and by bringing in Jordan, the Longhorns would be able to quickly return to tournament form.

The only issue would be prying Jordan away from Butler, where he has become established in the standings and in the recruiting pipeline.

If Ohio State could get Chris Holtmann from Butler and the Celtics could get Brad Stevens, Jordan is well within distance for Texas.

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