NCAA Basketball: 7 notable mid-major coaches jumping into high-major ranks

Each offseason of the NCAA basketball slate sees a shift in the coaching ranks. Take a look at seven notable names making the leap into the high-major ranks.

Chris Jans, Mississippi State Bulldogs

Chris Jans kicks things off with his move to the Mississippi State Bulldogs’ sidelines following his improbable second-round run in the NCAA Tournament from the New Mexico State Aggies’ sidelines in 2021-22. He led the Aggies to a 27-7 record this past season, upsetting the UConn Huskies in the first round as a 12-seed before falling to the Arkansas Razorbacks by just five points in the second round. Now, he’ll get to take his chances at a lot more SEC teams in the high-major ranks beginning in 2022-23.

In five seasons with the Aggies, Jans made three appearances in the NCAA Tournament (2018, 2019, & 2022) while compiling a record of 122-32 (.792). He won the WAC Coach of the Year award in 2018-19 and 2019-20 and led the Aggies to four regular-season conference titles and three conference tournament crowns as he takes over on the sidelines in Starkville looking to turn things around following the firing of Ben Howland.

The Bulldogs made just one NCAA Tournament appearance in seven seasons with Howland at the helm as he put together a record of 134-98 (.578). He finished 36-31 (.537) across the past two seasons, which sent administrators in another direction.

Jans brings with him a wealth of experience at the DI level looking to show he can make the Bulldogs a competitive squad at the high-major ranks heading into 2022-23.