Chris Beard fired; Who will be 2023-24 Texas basketball coach?

Proven commodities

John Calipari, Kentucky

Calipari is possibly the most interesting name on the list. He has manned the helm at Kentucky since 2009. But let’s face it. Kentucky is a school that is used to winning big and they have not done that in over a decade. And with the team currently struggling, do they decide to make a change? That would immediately result in Texas no longer being the best job available, but it could make Calipari being a very interesting candidate for the Longhorns.

Eric Musselman, Arkansas

Musselman has proven how good of a college coach he is over the last several years at Arkansas and previously Utah State. He has had great success in Fayetteville, but has he maxed out the Razorbacks? The ceiling at the University of Texas is much higher and could be a very enticing opportunity for the 58-year-old head coach.

Nate Oats, Alabama

Despite his success at Buffalo, there were some doubters when Alabama went with Oats in 2019. But he has quickly emerged as one of the best coaches in the SEC. Despite being a football school, he has won big already with the Crimson Tide, winning an SEC Championship in 2021. Does Oats want to try and do the same at another football school?

Kelvin Sampson, Houston

Sampson is arguably college basketball’s best and most underrated coach at the same time. It took some time, but he has given the Cougars’ basketball program the same relevance that they had as when Olajuwon and Drexler donned the red and white. If Texas were to land Sampson, not only would it be a home run hire, it would be a grand slam.

Buzz Williams, Texas A&M

When Texas hired Beard, they plucked an in-state, conference rival’s coach from right under their nose. Will they do the same with a future conference rival? While there are plenty of schools in Texas, the Longhorns run the state as far as fandom goes. And for Williams, who was born just outside Dallas, it would likely not take much convincing for him to bolt to Austin. 

Jay Wright, Retired

This one is probably unlikely, but maybe the future Hall of Famer is itching to get back into the game already. After winning two championships at Villanova, the college basketball world was shocked to hear of Wright’s retirement last year. But if Wright were to come back, Texas would likely have to fight off some NBA teams as well.