As the end of the college basketball regular season approaches, the coaching carousel is starting to heat up. Several power conference programs have already made up their minds on moving in a new direction and are looking for a new head coach to lead their program.
Every year head coaches are plucked from lower-level schools to fill these top-tier positions in hopes of continuing their success at a higher level. This year we have seen several coaches do well in their first season after making the jump (Dusty May - Michigan, Pat Kelsey - Louisville, Darian DeVries - West Virginia).
Let’s take a look at what mid-major coaches are next up and will soon be getting the call up to the power conference level.
Ryan Odom, VCU Rams
Odom broke onto the scene in 2018 when he led UMBC to the first ever 16 seed over 1 seed upset in March Madness. He left for Utah State in 2021 before becoming the head coach at VCU, where he is in his second season.
This year he has the Rams atop the A10 standings and looking like a team that could make a run in March. As a Division 1 head coach he has only had one losing season and has shown that he can be successful in this new era of college athletics. If Odom can lead VCU past the first round this year there is no doubt he will be a top candidate for a power conference job, and I would keep an eye on Virginia Tech where he spent eight years as an assistant.
Jerrod Calhoun, Utah State Aggies
Lately Utah State has been a feeder school for coaches moving up to higher level jobs as Calhoun is their fourth coach in the past seven years. I guess that is not a negative though because it means your time is good.
One year removed from Danny Sprinkle leaving the Aggies for Washington, Calhoun has them looking just as good if not better. This is a guy who has done his time in the lower levels of college basketball as he spent five seasons in Division II before going to Youngstown State where he was the head man for seven years. Calhoun is yet to make it into the NCAA Tournament, but the Aggies are looking like a lock for the dance this year which could leave them looking for a new head coach once again.
Will Wade, McNeese State Cowboys
The question for Will Wade is not if he will get another power conference job, after getting fired from LSU in 2022 for violations that included payments to players/recruits, but when.
After taking a year off Wade went to a McNeese program that had gone without a winning season for over 10 years. He led them to 30 wins last season, and this year has them well on track for another March Madness appearance.
He has been successful at every level with a win percentage of .701 and LSU basketball has really struggled since his departure. With college athletes now able to make money, Wade’s past should not be held against him and he should be the hottest name in the market this offseason.
Bucky McMillan, Samford Bulldogs
McMillan is a guy who is just waiting for his big time opportunity to come. This young hotshot head coach has become known for his style of play known as ‘Bucky Ball’ which is fast paced, emphasizes pressure on the defensive end to force turnovers, and is extremely fun to watch.
McMillan is in his fifth year at Samford where he is in the midst of his fourth straight 20+ win season. He also comes with an awesome story that is looking eerily similar to Alabama head coach Nate Oats with the path of going from long time high school coach straight to Division 1 head coach. Oats went from Buffalo to Alabama, and I expect Bucky’s call up to a bigger program to happen soon.
Bryan Hodgson, Arkansas State Red Wolves
Hodgson may not be the biggest name right now, but I believe his time is soon. The 37-year-old learned under Nate Oats at Buffalo and Alabama where he became known as one of the top recruiters in the nation.
As the head coach at Arkansas State he has led the Red Wolves to consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 2012-2014. They are currently in a crowded top cluster of teams in the Sun Belt and have a legitimate shot at winning the conference tournament and earning a tournament bid.
If Hodgson can get that done, he will surely be discussed for lower level power conference jobs this offseason, but a few more years at a mid-major would not hurt this young candidate who is in only his second season as a head coach.