The Texas A&M basketball coaching search appears to be heading into Day 3. Texas A&M is looking for a coach after Buzz Williams surprisingly bolted for Maryland’s vacancy. The Aggies thought that they had a new coach, but they were rebuffed by Ole Miss coach Chris Beard yesterday.
Analyzing Top Candidates For Texas A&M Coach Search After Being Snubbed By Top 2 Targets
Instead of Beard moving to Texas A&M, the 52-year-old leveraged Ole Miss into a massive contract extension. According to Brian Davis, who covers the Texas Longhorns, Beard initiated contact with A&M through intermediaries.
Beard, a native Texan, told A&M people about his passion for the state and his newfound desire to beat rival Texas, Davis said on X. “When the A&M job actually opened, Beard leveraged A&M’s interest for more money from Ole Miss. A&M officials understand the importance of the hire, sources told me. But on to the next candidate. Pressure building on AD Trev Alberts to get it right.”
Beard reportedly signed a six-year extension with Ole Miss and will receive increased NIL monies for the program. Alberts was believed to be willing to pay Beard $7 million to jump ship.
After getting snubbed by Beard, Pete Nakos of On3 reported that Texas turned its attention to Texas Tech head man Grant McCaslin. But Nakos said McCaslin, who owns a 206-97 record, quickly declined.
Despite a couple of solid NCAA tournaments, including a historic 2015-16 campaign, the Aggies have been more consistent than they have been recently since mid-to-late 2010s. Over these past four seasons, all under Williams‘ direction, the Aggies have compiled a 96-49 record and three NCAA tournament berths. However, they were only 2-3 in these tournament trips and never got past the second round.
Who will Texas A&M turn to next?
Texas A&M Head Coaching Candidates
Alan Huss, High Point
Alan Huss has been one of the hot names discussed with these major coaching openings. Huss led High Point to two of the program’s best two seasons in history, compiling a 56-15 record and two Big South regular-season championships. The 46-year-old coach guided High Point to the NCAA tournament this season for the first time.
“A former Creighton assistant under Greg McDermott, Alan Huss’ offense led the Big South in scoring and ranked 22nd nationally this season with 81.7 points per game, Nakos said. “High Point was the runner-up in the CBI last season and cracked the NCAA Tournament this year.”
Steve Lutz, Oklahoma State
Steve Lutz has made the NCAA tournament in three of his four seasons as head coach. But Oklahoma State struggled to a 17-18 record in the 52-year-old’s first season. He has an 86-53 overall record.
“A San Antonio native, Steve Lutz has worked as an assistant under Matt Painter and Greg McDermott before landing his first head coaching job at Texas A&M Corpus Christi,” wrote Nakos. “He turned the program around, winning the Southland Conference Tournament in his two seasons, then taking the Western Kentucky job and winning the C-USA Tournament. Lutz just wrapped up his first year at Oklahoma State, going 17-18 after taking over a 12-20 roster. His quick rise has his name in the mix at Texas A&M.”
Chris Mack, Charleston
Chris Mack has been highly successful everywhere he has been. The 55-year-old led the College of Charleston to a 24-9 record and a third-place finish in his first season. He owns a 302-142 record and nine NCAA tournament appearances in 14 years with stints at Louisville and Xavier.
Here is more from Nakos: “The former Xavier and Louisville head coach just wrapped up his first season at Charleston. The head coach at Xaver from 2009 to 2018, he made the NCAA Tournament every year but one. He struggled when he left Xavier for Louisville, finding success in the first two seasons but stumbling in his final two years, finishing his tenure 63–36 with only one NCAA Tournament appearance.”
Luke Murray, UConn Assistant
Luke Murray doesn’t have any head coaching experience but has been in the collegiate ranks since 2007-08. He has also been in the mix for several head coaching openings, including Maryland. He has served under Dan Hurley at UConn since 2021, where he has been instrumental in recruiting and the development of big men Donovan Clingan and Adama Sanoga.
Nakos said: “Luke Murray’s name was in the mix for the Maryland job before the Terrapins turned to Buzz Williams. Dan Hurley’s top assistant and a key piece of UConn’s back-to-back national championships has emerged as one of the top young assistants in the sport. Previously with Chris Mack at Xavier and Louisville, he’s the son of comedy icon Bill Murray. Murray has run point on implementing Hurley’s offense at UConn and worked closely with big men Adama Sanogo and Donovan Clingan.”
Kellen Sampson, Houston Assistant
Kellen Sampson has also never been a head coach. The 39-year-old played at Oklahoma (2004-07) and has been an assistant coach at the collegiate level since 2010. He has served under his father, Kelvin Sampson, at Houston since 2014.
“One wild card could be Houston assistant Kellen Sampson,” ESPN’s Jeff Borzello said. “He is obviously very familiar with the state, not only from the past 11 years on his father’s staff at Houston, but also with one season as an assistant at Stephen F. Austin. Sampson has played a key role in the Cougars’ success in recent years.”
Brad Underwood, Illinois Head Coach
Brad Underwood has turned Illinois back into a regular contender in the Big Ten. The Illini have won one Big Ten conference title and two conference tournament crowns while also reaching the NCAA tournament in each of the last five years. He is 165-101 in eight years in Champaign, reaching the Elite 8 in 2024.
“Underwood, who burst onto the scene with his success at Stephen F. Austin, has been at Illinois since 2017, and the program has been to the NCAA Tournament for five consecutive seasons under his watch, said CBS Sports’ Cameron Salerno. “Illinois was on track to reach the NCAA Tournament in 2020 for the first time in Underwood’s tenure, but the Big Dance was canceled due to COVID-19. Illinois reached the Elite Eight last spring for the first time since 2005.
Chris Jans, Mississippi State Head Coach
Chris Jans is among the few candidates with head coaching experience in the SEC. The nearly 55-year-old has led Mississippi State to its best three-year stretch since the early 2000s, going 63-40 and reaching the NCAA tournament all three seasons. He owns a 206-84 record with six NCAA tournament berths, though he has won just one of six tournament games.
Here is what Salerno said: “Jans has won at least 20 games during his first three seasons at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are coming off their third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Before he arrived at Mississippi State, the Bulldogs reached the NCAA Tournament in three straight seasons only once (2002-05).
Jans is an outside-the-box candidate who has familiarity with the SEC that Texas A&M could consider.”
Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska Head Coach
Fred Hoiberg has done as good a job at Nebraska as one could imagine. He guided the Cornhuskers to the NCAA tournament last year for the first time in a decade and to three straight non-losing seasons since the late 2000s. He owns a 197-164 career record with five NCAA tournament berths, posting a 4-5 record in those trips.
“Fred Hoiberg has led Nebraska to only one NCAA Tournament berth in six seasons as head coach, but Alberts could be inclined to hiring the coach he hired during his time at Nebraska,” Austin Courtwright of USA Today said. “Hoiberg took over a program with only seven NCAA Tournament appearances. Nebraska won 24 combined games in Hoiberg’s first three seasons but has since started to pick things up and is competitive in the Big Ten.
The former Chicago Bulls coach is best known for leading his alma mater, Iowa State, to four consecutive NCAA Tournament berths and a Sweet 16 in 2014.”
Porter Moser, Oklahoma Head Coach
Porter Moser also has SEC experience with Oklahoma, leading the Sooners to the NCAA tournament in their first season in the conference. Moser is 74-59 in four seasons at Oklahoma and 367-301 in 21 years as a head coach. However, the former Texas A&M assistant has only been to the NCAA tournament three times as a head coach, reaching the Final Four with Loyola-Chicago in 2021.
Curtwright said: “Oklahoma reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in Moser’s tenure this past season before getting bounced in the first round by two-time reigning national champion UConn. Before Moser arrived in Norman, Oklahoma, he helped Loyola Chicago reach the Final Four in 2008.
Notable: Moser was an assistant coach at Texas A&M from 1996-98.”
Moser for his part tried to dispel rumors that he is a candidate for the Aggies job.
“The people in Oklahoma are special,” Moser said on CBS Sports’ Zach Gelb Show. “It’s one of the greatest places I’ve lived. It’s just, you’re fighting to get the resources right. And we are. We’re moving in that right direction… There’s such opportunities that, such a high vision of what we can do being in this SEC. We’re looking forward to it.”
Scott Cross, Troy Head Coach
Scott Cross has been a low-to-mid major coach for the last 18 years, spending the previous six seasons at Troy. The 50-year-old coach led Troy to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017. The Trojans went 23-11 this past season, marking their fourth straight 20-win season under Cross. They also claimed the Sun Belt regular and conference tournament titles. He is 328-248 overall with five conference titles (three regular-season crowns and two conference titles) and two NCAA tournament bids.
Curtwright said: “Another Texas native, Scott Cross, was born in Garland, Texas, and led Troy to its third-ever NCAA Tournament berth in 2025 after winning the Sun Belt Conference.
Cross has had quite an impressive career. He coached at Texas-Arlington from 2006-18 and led the Mavericks to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2007-08. He won 20 or more games in his final three seasons at Texas-Arlington before being surprisingly fired after the 2017-18 season.
Cross played college basketball at Texas-Arlington from 1995-98, which coincided with Williams’ stint as an assistant coach there. Cross was also an assistant at TCU from 2018-19.”
Bucky McMillan, Samford Head Coach
Bucky McMillan is a young head coach who has seen a huge meteorological rise as he has been highly successful at Samford. McMillan has directed Samford to four straight 20-win campaigns and is 99-52 in five seasons at the Birmingham (Ala.) school. Samford reached the NCAA tournament in 2024, marking the first time since 2000.
“This might be too big of a jump too early for the 41-year-old McMillan, but he’s thought of really highly in coaching circles, “stated Matt Young of the Houston Chronicle. “Since getting his first Division I head coaching job in 2020, he’s led Samford to four straight 20-win seasons and its first NCAA Tournament berth in 24 years. His teams play an exciting, up-tempo style of basketball that could inject some needed energy into the Texas A&M basketball program.”
Greg McDermott, Creighton Head Coach
McDermott has done a fabulous job in his 14 seasons at Creighton and deserves to be considered by Alberts. The 61-year-old has led the Bluejays to 10 straight 20-win campaigns and a 350-171 record. The BlueJays have made five straight NCAA tournament berths and 10 NCAA tournament berths. They have reached the Sweet 16 in three of the past six seasons, reaching the Elite 8 in 2023.
McDermott has a 499-302 record in 24 years, including 12-13 in the NCAA tournament. Perhaps his only drawback is that he never posted a winning record in four seasons at Iowa State.
“Why not Greg McDermott?, said Cameron Ohnysty of the Aggies Wire. “One of the top offensive coaches in the country has likely done all he can with the Creighton BlueJays after 15 seasons, and a change of scenery in the best basketball conference in the country has to be at least somewhat enticing, right?
“McDermott’s 350 wins at Creighton include ten trips to the NCAA Tournament, three second round, two Sweet 16s, and one to the Elite 8. After six years of Buzz Williams’ defensive focus, more offense is the key to future success.”
Kyle Smith, Stanford Head Coach
Kyle Smith has been directing a high-major program since 2019, when he moved from San Francisco to Washington State. Smith, who is 115-84 over the past six seasons, guided Stanford to a 21-14 record, the Cardinal’s most wins in 11 years. Smith is 279-207 in 15 years, though he has only made one NCAA tournament (2024).
Young Said: “The 55-year-old Smith is a bit of an under-the-radar candidate, but he grew up in Houston, playing basketball at Alief Hastings High School, so that it would be a return home for him. Smith started coaching in the Ivy League, spending six years at Columbia before a 25-win season, which helped him get the job at San Francisco, where he had three straight 20-win seasons under Smith before he left for Washington State in 2019. He took the Cougars to the NCAA Tournament in 2024 for their first postseason trip since 2008.”
Last Word
There are several strong candidates out there for Texas A&M, and the Aggies are apparently likely willing to spend the cash. Underwood or Mack makes the most sense for Alberts and the Aggies. If not those two, Hoiberg could fit with the Aggies. However, they may as well look to the younger crowd like Huss or Cross. They could also see McDermott, but I’m not sure he wants to leave Creighton.
Photo Credit: © Isaiah J. Downing, Imagn Images
