From my initial article on the search:
Jerrod Calhoun is the name of this search right now. This year’s MWC Coach of the Year is from Canton, OH and attended Cleveland State for 2 years before moving to Cincinnati, where he was a student assistant under Bob Huggins. He then moved to Walsh as an assistant from 04-07, and then assisted under Huggins at WVU for 5 years. His first head coaching job was at Fairmont State where he spent 5 years, going 124-38 with 4 tournament appearances before moving up to D1. His most impressive season as a coach was a 34-3 season in 2016-17 at Fairmont State where they went 34-3 and were the D2 runner up. Calhoun then spent 7 years at Youngstown State, amassing an impressive 118-106 record in the Horizon League, including taking YSU to a regular season championship in 2022-23. He then moved to Utah State in 2024-25, where he has gone 52-14 (now up to xx-xx) in a tough Mountain West Conference. Last year, the Aggies were in the NCAA Tournament (losing in the first round), and this year they’ve already won the MWC regular season title, and will be dancing once the bracket comes out on Sunday. They’re also in the semi-finals of the MWC tournament. If there is a hire that would get the Bearcat faithful going, this is the clear one. His local ties and track record speak for themselves. He has turned programs around at 2 stops, while not missing a step taking over in Logan, UT. This is the most consistent name I’ve heard since January. He was linked to the Kansas State job, but after a longer process, Kansas State went another direction. I’ve heard conflicting reports about how serious he was about taking this position. I can confirm that there is mutual interest here.
Style: Of note, the style Calhoun plays is offense first, and some may like that, but it is a significant shift from the grind the Bearcats are used to, with defense not being a strength for his teams. This year, however, is his first year with a top 150 defense in the nation per kenpom.com, coming in at 55th currently.
More thoughts on the Calhoun Hire:
As mentioned, he is going to play an offensive first style of basketball, and bring a completely new style of basketball to Cincinnati. You have to go back to 2009 to find a season where Cincinnati was more efficient on offense than they are on defense. After that, you have to go back to the Andy Kennedy year in 2006. It’s time for a culture shift, and Calhoun should be able to accomplish that, while understanding the culture and history for the Bearcats.
His teams average 68 possessions per game, a rate that would rank 142nd in the nation this year and while not a lightning fast pace, it is roughly the same pace that Wes Miller played with in Clifton, and considerably faster than the Cronin years. Another area I wanted to point out as I know Cincinnati fans will want to hear about, is the free throw shooting. His final 3 years at Youngstown State saw the Penguins top 30 each year from the stripe. He has regressed at Utah State, however, it does appear the Calhoun will prioritize getting to the free throw line, and converting once there. In what would be a welcome sight, Calhoun’s teams are elite inside the arc, and the last two years, Utah State went 13th nationally in 2025, and 9th nationally this season for inside the arc. His teams do take a fair amount of three point attempts, but aren’t reliant on them to win games. His teams have been middle of the road in 3pt% the last two years. On defense, Utah State’s Calhoun teams have been elite at turning teams over, however, they’ve allowed a relatively high number of offensive rebounds, and they have some issues sending teams to the FT line.
While this isn’t a complete comprehensive guide, I wanted to get you all a snapshot of what to expect. If you watched Utah State’s battle with Villanova in March this year, you know that Calhoun can coach and get his team to close games, which is something that is desperately needed at fifth-third and beyond for the Bearcats!
It’s a new era, and an era that should have Bearcat fans extremely excited for the future!
