Stanford HC coaching candidates: Top 5 Jerod Haase replacements for Cardinals job ft. Kyle Smith

End-of-season layoffs continue, with Stanford Cardinals firing their coach Jerod Haase.

Less than 10 minutes after the Cardinals lost 79-62 to No. 22 Washington State on Thursday, the school announced the news. With the quarterfinal defeat, the Cardinals exited the Pac-12 tournament and closed the season 14-18 (8-12 in the Pac-12).

When sharing the news, Athletic Director, Bernard Muir said:

"While the on-court results fell short of our expectations, Coach Haase led our men's basketball program with great integrity and made a deeply positive impact on many Cardinal student-athletes.

"As we embark on the search for our next head coach, I wish Jerod and his family all the best in the future."

In his eight seasons at Stanford, the team went 112–109 record without a NCAA Tournament appearance.

The farthest run into the postseason for the Cardinals during the Haase era was the second round of NIT in 2018. They have struggled on a conference level but fared slightly better overall.

In an emotional post-game news conference, Jerod Haase said:

"I have not won here to the level that I expect. Just like I hold my team accountable, I'm being held accountable, and I have no issue with that."

"If the program was perfect right now, I'd still be the coach," Haase said. "It's not perfect. There need to be some advancements and improvements.

With the school now looking for his replacement, here are five options.

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Top five Jerod Haase replacements for Stanford HC

#1 Kyle Smith

As per ESPN sources, Smith is one of the top candidates for the role. He began his coaching career at another Ivy, Columbia, with whom he has a 101-82 record. In his current role at Washington State, he holds a 93-69 record with a 24-8 for this season.

The Cougars are No. 18 in the country, and Smith has helped lead the team to their first NCAA Tournament since 2008.

#2 Mitch Henderson

Princeton's Henderson is also said to be Stanford's priority target, given his track record of turning the Tigers' fortunes around.

Henderson took over Princeton in 2011, his first coaching job, and led the team to the Conference Tournament title for the first time in 2017 and repeated the feat in 2023.

Henderson also guided the team to two NCAA appearances, with a Sweet Sixteen entry in 2023 being the first since 1967.

#3 Matt Langel

For the last four years, the Colgate Raiders have won the Conference Tournament championship, thanks to Matt Langel. He took over a struggling Colgate team and completely turned things around, making them an NCAA Tournament regular contender since 2019.

Langel has an overall record of 227-183, and his experience as a player and as a coach could help Stanford immensely.

#4 Amir Abdur-Rahim

Having just ended his first season with the South Florida Bulls, Rahim took the team from 14-18 to 23-6 in just one year.

Previously, Amir Abdur-Rahim took a struggling Kennesaw State from a 1-28 in his first year in 2019 to 26-9 along with an NCAA Tournament appearance in his final year with the team.

His quick turnaround time in bringing results is something Stanford needs right now. Although it has been just one year with the Bulls for Rahim, it's still worth it for Stanford to shoot their shot.

#5 Travis Ford

Ford's time with St. Louis came to a close on Wednesday following the Billikens’ season-ending 83-73 loss to Duquesne in the second round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. St. Louis ended 13-20 overall with 5-13 in the A-10 conference.

Ford has a record of 146-109 with SLU over eight seasons and an overall record of 424-335. His track record shows that he can bring in great results with the right team.