Utah Basketball: 5 candidates to replace Larry Krystkowiak as head coach

Craig Smith

There will instantly be a number of names that every Utah fan will want for this job, though we may have already covered one of them. It’s unlikely that a big name like John Beilein or Thad Matta will move to the west coast, but that doesn’t mean the Utes can’t land one of the rising stars in the game. Smith certainly fits that build.

Smith has risen rapidly in the coaching ranks over the last few decades. He’s coached at many colleges, both at D1 and not, including under Tim Miles at three different schools. He got his first D1 head coaching job with South Dakota and spent four seasons building a good program with the Coyotes. He landed at nearby Utah State in 2018 and has performed incredibly, winning a pair of Mountain West Tournaments. He’s about to lead the Aggies to their second NCAA Tournament appearance.

Mostly due to what he’s doing in the state, Smith’s accomplishments at Utah State stand out and he’d be a great candidate for the Utes. His three years with the Aggies have been simply fantastic and he’s really resurrected a program that had been going in the wrong direction the last few seasons.

He’d be one of the best mid-major names that Utah could hire and he would certainly be familiar with recruiting in the area. Consider his brief experience on staff at Nebraska and he even has power conference experience.