Texas Basketball coaching candidates: Top 5 potential Rodney Terry replacements for Longhorns in 2025

According to multiple reports, the Texas Longhorns are set to part ways with men's basketball coach Rodney Terry after just three seasons with him at the helm. Terry took over the program on an interim basis in late 2022 and guided the Longhorns to their first Elite Eight appearance in 15 years.

A day after the Longhorns lost their Elite Eight clash in 2023, the university removed the interim tag and gave Terry the full-time job. Texas finished 21-3 overall and 9-9 in the Big 12 last season. They did not advance past the second round in either the Big 12 Tournament or the NCAA Tournament.

This season has been a little rougher as the Longhorns are 19-16 overall and only managed to win six games in conference play. While they did secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament, they were ousted in the First Four after a loss to Xavier. With Terry's likely departure, Texas will be on the hunt for a new coach. Here are five potential candidates the Longhorns could target.

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5 coaches Texas could consider to replace Rodney Terry

#5. Tommy Lloyd, Arizona

Tommy Lloyd would be an exciting name for the Longhorns to pursue. The 2022 AP Coach of the Year has done an outstanding job at Arizona, leading the Wildcats to two Pac-12 regular season and conference tournament titles.

This season, Arizona earned a four-seed in the NCAA Tournament after posting a 22-12 record. Lloyd has emerged as one of the top young coaches in the country so the Longhorns' athletic director Chris Del Conte could try to lure him.

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#4. Grant McCasland, Texas Tech

Grant McCasland was one of the names that popped up during Texas' coaching search last time, before they decided on Rodney Terry. The Longhorns could revisit the idea this time around. McCasland has been at Texas Tech for the past two seasons with the Red Raiders going 49-19 during that span. His team is a No. 3 seed in this year's NCAA Tournament.

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#3. Nate Oats, Alabama

If Del Conte is willing to spend big money, he could look into luring Nate Oats away from Alabama. In his five seasons with the Crimson Tide, Oats has led them to two regular season titles, two conference tournament titles and four NCAA Tournament appearances including a trip to the Final Four last season.

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#2. TJ Otzelberger, Iowa State

The Longhorns fanbase has been buzzing about the idea of bringing TJ Otzelberger to Moody Center. Since taking over at Iowa State in 2021, the coach has led the Cyclones to every single NCAA Tournament, including a Sweet Sixteen appearance last year. Iowa was also the conference regular season champion in 2024.

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#1. Sean Miller, Xavier

The clear-cut top choice seems to be Sean Miller. Several reports including those from ESPN's Pete Thamel and Field of 68's Jeff Goodman have indicated that Miller is the frontrunner for the Texas job. He was even considered for the role before and his extensive coaching experience, having racked up almost 500 wins as head coach, will make him an attractive target.

It would be an interesting move if the Longhorns brought in Miller after losing to a team coached by the former Team USA junior team coach.