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One of the 10 best jobs in college basketball just opened. After only two seasons as the full-time coach of the Texas Longhorns, Rodney Terry was fired Sunday, sources told CBS Sports.
Horns247 reported on Wednesday night, right after Texas’ season ended, that Terry would not return. He was informed of the official decision Sunday afternoon.
Not even making the NCAA Tournament every year on the job could save Terry. Texas blew a 13-point lead to Xavier in an 86-80 loss lost Wednesday night in the First Four, ending the Longhorns’ season at 19-16. Those 15 pre-tournament losses tied for the most ever for an at-large team.
“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 when asked about his job status Wednesday. “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.”
The school will pay off the three years remaining on Terry’s deal, which will run UT nearly $6 million. Terry got the job in 2023 after running the team on an interim basis for nearly four months following Chris Beard’s suspension and subsequent firing that season for a domestic violence incident. Texas made the Elite Eight, and in doing so, Terry earned a five-year contract.
But he never really found a foothold in Austin.
Last season’s team went 21-13 and lost in the second round of the NCAAs as a No. 7 seed. This season’s team had a variety of disappointing losses and missed opportunities in the stacked SEC. Even while playing in arguably the toughest league ever (the SEC’s 14 bids a record for most teams in one NCAA Tournament), Texas still fell short of expectations, particularly with projected top-five pick Tre Johnson on the roster.
Texas went 62-37 in games coached by Terry.
Athletic director Chris Del Conte has been working for weeks on his targets, according to sources. UT is poised to be one of the most highly resourced programs in the forthcoming revenue-sharing era, and the job has long been viewed as a top-tier post in college basketball. With a home arena that’s only three years old, the power brokers in and around Texas are looking to land a proven coach who can truly bring the Horns to the forefront of college basketball the way the football program has rebuilt its relevance as of late.
The Texas opening is so big, it could lead to a domino effect of two or three other schools losing their coaches after Terry’s successor is determined.
