On Sunday, Texas’ plan to move on from Rodney Terry went from a “likely move” to complete as the Longhorns elected to enter the coaching carousel one day prior to the opening of the transfer portal.
The Longhorns were eliminated in the First Four game with an 86-80 loss to Xavier on Wednesday night. CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein was the first to report the news, saying, “Terry will not return as Texas’ head coach next season.”
“I’ve been at Texas 13 years, and there’s not a year I haven’t made the NCAA Tournament or been part of the NCAA Tournament,” Terry said after Wednesday’s loss. “I have a lot of pride in terms of being a Longhorn. I love being at Texas. I don’t think anyone has been a part of Texas basketball that’s been more successful than myself. I’ve been a part of the top five seasons in this program’s history.”
Terry originally took the helm as Texas’ interim head coach after Chris Beard’s mid-season dismissal in 2021-22. In his first season, the Longhorns made a spirited run to the Elite Eight. However, they missed the tournament in 2024, and last night, they blew a 13-point second-half lead.
In his three seasons at the helm, Terry recorded an overall record of 62-37 and a conference record of 27-27. In 2022-23, Terry led the program to their second regular season Big 12 Championship all-time before making the move to the SEC just two years later. The move proved to be troublesome for Terry’s group as the Longhorns finished the season off at 19-16 and 6-12 (SEC).
As far as a Texas hot board for the new head coach goes, Rothstein highlighted Xavier’s Sean Miller as the primary coach, but names like Texas A&M’s Buzz Williams, Illinois’ Brad Underwood, and even Kansas’ Bill Self have been mentioned.
