With at the moment’s information that Mike Woodson won’t return for the 2025-26 season, it’s formally teaching search season in Bloomington.
Contained in the Corridor could have full protection of this system’s seek for its thirty first head coach. Right here’s our preliminary sizzling board inspecting names that may very well be candidates for the job.
As a result of the search is in its preliminary hours, potential candidates are listed alphabetically. The inclusion of any title under doesn’t verify curiosity from IU or curiosity from the candidate within the job.
Chris Beard, Ole Miss
A cloud of uncertainty looms over Beard’s potential candidacy attributable to his off-the-court historical past, however there’s no denying he’s able to profitable on the highest ranges of the game.
Beard led Texas Tech to a nationwide championship recreation look in 2019 and has already remodeled Ole Miss into one of many prime applications within the SEC in two seasons. Knight is one in all Beard’s largest influences in teaching and his groups defend at an elite degree. Whether or not he can be significantly thought-about is an open query.
Mark Byington, Vanderbilt
Like Curt Cignetti, Byington jumped from James Madison to an influence 5 job and is having nice success in his first season. The 48-year-old has Vanderbilt, which completed final season 9-23, in place to make the NCAA event.
Final season, Byington led JMU to the NCAA event spherical of 32 and beat Wisconsin within the opening spherical. It may not be simple to win the press convention by hiring Byington, however turning Vanderbilt into a decent SEC program in a single season after it was a doormat for years below Jerry Stackhouse is not any small feat.
Jerrod Calhoun, Utah State
An Ohio native, the 43-year-old Calhoun changed Danny Sprinkle final spring at Utah State and is having fun with success within the Mountain West convention. The Aggies are 20-3 this season below Calhoun and within the prime 50 of KenPom.
It’s unlikely Indiana would get to Calhoun’s title early in its search, however he’s gained 20 video games the final three seasons and is without doubt one of the prime up-and-coming coaches within the sport.
Chris Collins, Northwestern
Collins is aware of the Large Ten in addition to any coach on this checklist, having spent the final 12 seasons in Evanston main Northwestern. Collins has taken the Wildcats to the NCAA event thrice, together with back-to-back appearances in 2023 and 2024.
The argument for Collins can be recognizing his success with meager assets at Northwestern and a guess that he may win at a a lot increased degree with IU’s monetary dedication to this system.
Mick Cronin, UCLA
A midwesterner now in Westwood main the Bruins, does Cronin need to get again to his roots? He’s already led UCLA to a Ultimate 4 look in 2021 and back-to-back Candy Sixteen appearances in 2022 and 2023.
The 53-year-old prioritizes protection above all else and whereas his fashion of play isn’t thrilling, he’s confirmed he can attain the NCAA event persistently.
Scott Drew, Baylor
Drew mentioned no to Kentucky and Louisville final spring, so would he even entertain an overture from Indiana? The Hoosiers may make the decision to seek out out.
The fact is that Drew is Baylor basketball. He’s gained a nationwide championship in Waco, is beloved in the neighborhood and may possible keep within the job till retirement. But when he’s prepared for a brand new problem, the one in Bloomington may pique his curiosity.
Todd Golden, Florida
Golden, 39, is without doubt one of the brightest younger coaches in America. His first head teaching job got here at San Francisco, the place he reached the NCAA event in 2022. After that season, his third at San Francisco, he landed the Florida job and now has the Gators within the prime 10 of KenPom in yr three of his tenure.
He was lately cleared in a Title IX investigation that was launched final fall which accused him of sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, stalking and cyberstalking from a number of girls. That investigation, regardless of the end result, might complicate his candidacy.
Chris Jans, Mississippi State
Jans made it to the NCAA event thrice at New Mexico State. He’s presently on monitor for his third NCAA event look in three seasons at Mississippi State.
The 55-year-old has labored his means up via the teaching career and has a nationwide championship within the junior faculty ranks.
Tommy Lloyd, Arizona
A Washington native, the 50-year-old spent 21 seasons at Gonzaga earlier than touchdown his first head teaching job at Arizona in 2021. The Wildcats have ranked within the prime 15 of KenPom in every of Lloyd’s 4 seasons on the helm.
Transferring ahead, Lloyd might want to decide what assets will likely be accessible at Tucson within the revenue-sharing period. With its super assets, would a program like Indiana attraction to Lloyd?
Dusty Could, Michigan
Could labored as a scholar supervisor below Bob Knight, made a Ultimate 4 run at Florida Atlantic College and is now having fun with success in his first season on the high-major degree as Michigan’s coach.
He’s simply 48 years outdated and performs an thrilling fashion of basketball, however would he go away Ann Arbor after one season and make a transfer throughout the convention? The ties to Bloomington are clear, however the timing is perhaps a yr too late for the Hoosiers.
Grant McCasland, Texas Tech
One other Texas native, McCasland gained a junior faculty championship at Midland School. He received his first Division I head teaching job at Arkansas State in 2016 after 5 years as an assistant coach at Baylor below Scott Drew.
After six seasons at North Texas from 2017 via 2023, the 48-year-old McCasland accepted the Texas Tech job in 2023 and guided the Crimson Raiders to an NCAA event look in 2024. This season, Texas Tech is on monitor for one more journey to March Insanity and his trendy fashion of play that contains a excessive quantity of 3-pointers wins video games and is enjoyable to look at. It may very well be troublesome to McCasland to go away his house state.
Ben McCollum, Drake
McCollum gained 4 NCAA Division II championships at Northwest Missouri State earlier than accepting the Drake job within the spring of 2024. He’s had nice success in his first season on the Division I degree and at simply 43 years outdated, seems to have a vivid future in the long run.
The query is whether or not he’s confirmed sufficient to be a critical candidate for the Indiana job. McCollum has gained in all places he’s been, however are the Hoosiers prepared to danger that he can translate that success to the very best degree of the game?
Greg McDermott, Creighton
McDermott commonly takes the Blue Jays to the NCAA event and is without doubt one of the prime offensive coaches in faculty basketball. He lately signed a contract extension, however there are experiences that his buyout isn’t prohibitive.
He’s loved nice success at Creighton, together with a visit to the Elite Eight in 2023. The Blue Jays completed within the prime 12 of the KenPom rankings within the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.
TJ Otzelberger, Iowa State
Otzelberger lately agreed to a contract extension via 2032 and appears nicely entrenched at Iowa State, which is having fun with success below his management.
He’s reached the NCAA event in every of his first three seasons in Ames and at simply 47 years outdated, will likely be on the want checklist for any program seeking to make a rent this spring. Whether or not he’s prepared to take heed to provides is one other story.
Bruce Pearl, Auburn
The 64-year-old Pearl has Indiana roots from his time as a head coach at Southern Indiana from 1992 via 2001. Since 2014, Pearl has constructed Auburn from an afterthought to a perennial energy.
Pearl made the 2019 Ultimate 4 and is a three-time SEC coach of the yr. It’s unclear if he would have an interest within the job or if his buyout would remove him, however there’s little question he would deliver vitality and will shortly flip across the program.
Josh Schertz, Saint Louis
Schertz, 49, was extremely profitable at Lincoln Memorial on the Division II degree earlier than touchdown the Indiana State job in 2021. He guided Indiana State to the finals of the NIT final spring earlier than accepting the Saint Louis job.
Often called an important X&O’s coach who values analytics, Schertz is a forward-thinking coach who had an elite offensive group in his remaining season at Indiana State. If he’s thought-about, he’s unlikely to be within the prime tier of candidates.
Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics
Stevens, the president of basketball operations for the Celtics, will likely be on each checklist of candidates for the IU job, even when his candidacy appears far-fetched. He led Butler to back-to-back nationwide championship recreation appearances and is a local of Zionsville who grew up with an affinity for IU basketball.
Whether or not he’s or not, the decision must be made to Stevens to make sure it’s nonetheless a no earlier than shifting down the checklist of candidates.
Will Wade, McNeese
Wade has rehabilitated his profession after being fired from LSU following NCAA rule infractions. Often called an elite recruiter, the 42-year-old Wade took McNeese to an NCAA event within the 2024 season, his first with this system.
Along with his NCAA show-cause expiring this summer season, Wade may quickly be a gorgeous candidate to high-major applications.
Buzz Williams, Texas A&M
The 52-year-old Williams made a number of Candy Sixteens and an Elite Eight at Marquette and a Candy Sixteen at Virginia Tech. He’s now in his sixth season at Texas A&M and has the Aggies competing close to the highest of the SEC.
Williams is a local of Texas, so it’s unclear whether or not he’d be seeking to go away the state. It’s additionally unclear if his candidacy would have broad attraction to the IU fanbase. Texas A&M is a below-average taking pictures group grinding out video games with its protection this season.
Filed to: Teaching search
