There’s no debating that Iowa State basketball has soared to new heights under the direction of T.J. Otzelberger. After inheriting a team that went 2-22 (0-18 Big 12) in 2021, Otzelberger produced 22 wins and a Sweet 16 berth in Year 1 and has sustained that success in the years since.
Despite a current three-game skid, Otzelberger’s Cyclones have had a strong case for a one-seed in the 2025 NCAA Men’s Tournament all year, and at 17-5, there’s still a shot that they can attain that.
But, there might be trouble brewing on the horizon, as an ACC team that will be in search of a head coach this cycle has designated Otzelberger as their top target.
According to Jerry Ratcliffe, an insider for Virginia athletics, Otzelberger has emerged as “a potential candidate” should the Cavaliers opt to move on from interim head coach Ron Sanchez this offseason.
“T.J. Otzelberger, who has rebuilt the Iowa State Cyclones the past few seasons, is considered a coaching star on the rise and appears to be a perfect fit for Virginia, much like Tony Bennett was when he was lured to Charlottesville from Washington State,” Ratcliffe writes.
Despite the current state of the program—an 11-12 record in 2025—UVA basketball isn’t far removed from being one of the best programs in America.
In Tony Bennett’s 15 seasons at the helm, the Cavaliers were 364–136 (.728), and made the NCAA Tournament 10 times and won at least a share of the ACC six times. The pinnacle of their success came in 2018-19, when Bennett’s Cavaliers went 35-3 and rode a stout defense all the way to a National Championship.
Prying Otzelberger away from Iowa State isn’t going to be easy though, as the Cyclones have done their due diligence in protecting their head coach. In December, ISU announced a contract extension with Otzelberger that would keep him in Ames through the 2032 season.
The contract, which is currently paying him $3.5 million per year, also includes a buyout clause that drives his buyout up to $18 million—a steep price for any program, let alone one that isn’t seeing the benefits of the Big Ten and SEC super-contracts.
It sounds like Virginia is certainly interested in getting Otzelberger, but actually doing that might be an entirely different story.
