A year ago, college basketball had its busiest cycle of coaching turnover ever. There were 68 job changes, a record high over the sport’s 100-plus year history.

Inevitably, there were going to be some big hits and big misses right off the bat. The ones that hit really did make a mark, in effect defining a lot of the good aspects of the 2024-25 spell. 

So today, I’m taking one more look back at the season and handing out some quick dap for the coaches who were able to take a new job and earn some instant credibility. Which schools made a coaching switch and found success without having to wait until Year 2 or Year 3? I’ve got an even dozen detailed below.

At the high-major level, the bar to clear is obvious and non-negotiable: Did you make the NCAA Tournament? If the answer is yes, you are listed here today. Mid-major hirings are judged a bit differently, but we also had a few of those who qualified for March Madness right away with a new coach as well.

None of these coaches are guaranteed to be as good next year as they were last season, but it sure does help in this hyper-transfer era. A number of the coaches/schools listed below have done quite well for themselves in the portal over the past month. 

2024-25’s most immediately successful high-major hires

Kentucky: Mark Pope

Pope brought in an eclectic group of transfers and freshmen and produced something historic in Lexington. The Wildcats beat eight top-15 teams last season, the most in program history and one of the most ever in a season by any team. UK wound up involved in some of the most entertaining games of the season, most notably its 106-100 win on Jan. 4 over eventual national champ Florida. Kentucky finished 24-12, earned a No. 3 seed and lost in the Sweet 16 to intra-conference rival Tennessee, but within those 24 wins, conquests over the likes of Duke, Gonzaga, Louisville, Florida, Tennessee (twice) and Illinois were all included.  

The Wildcats are immediately losing Andrew Carr, Lamont Butler, Amari Williams, Koby Brea and Jaxson Robinson, but the foundation they built will be looked back on fondly. Kentucky finished sixth in the deepest conference in college basketball history, doing so amid a brand overhaul in the post-John Calipari era. It could’ve been better, but not by much. Pope did a really good job in Year 1 and he’s got a team that could be preseason top 10 heading into Year 2.

Michigan: Dusty May

May didn’t need much time to regain Michigan’s prestige in college hoops. The Wolverines went from eight wins under Juwan Howard to 27 in May’s first season, which included a Sweet 16 run as an under-seeded No. 5 in the South Region, ultimately falling to No. 1 overall seed Auburn. Michigan’s 19-win turnaround ranks among the five largest in power-conference history.

May worked it well in the portal in 2024, most notably making a twin-tower starting duo of 7-footers play well off each other in a way no other team was doing. Vlad Goldin followed May from FAU, while Danny Wolf made the Ivy League jump from Yale and turned himself into a probable top-20 pick. Wolf was also one of the five best transfers last season. The Wolverines finished second in the Big Ten and have taken that momentum and built up arguably the best 2025 portal class to this point, led by UAB transfer Yaxel Lendeborg.

BYU: Kevin Young

Like Pope and May, Young got his team to a quality NCAA seed and a Sweet 16 showing right away. A big win for a program that last made it to the second weekend of March Madness back during the days of Jimmer. (Who just retired!) BYU got ahead of the pace this past season after going 26-10, ranking top-10 in offensive efficiency and earning a No. 6 seed. 

Young’s Cougars finished fourth in the Big 12, going 15-7 against league foes and hitting a hot streak in the final six weeks of the season that put them among the sport’s best by mid-March. BYU ultimately bowed out of the tournament against Alabama, which needed a tournament-record 25 triples to kill off the Cougars. Young’s team next season should be even better. The Cougars are poised to be one of the “It” programs of 2025-26 due to AJ Dybantsa: He’s the potential No. 1 overall NBA pick come 2026.  

Louisville: Pat Kelsey

Most of it was good until the very end, when Kelsey’s team got a gift. Despite being oddly under-seeded (as a No. 8) in the NCAAs, they were afforded a travel break by only having to drive Lexington for the first round. There, Creighton brought the wood and quickly ended U of L’s season with an 89-75 outcome in the first game of the first round. Other than that? Kelsey did a really good job in a mediocre ACC. But the conference’s quality is not on Louisville. Like Michigan, Louisville had a 19-game swing, one of the biggest ever by a high-major. The Cards went 27-8, including a 20-3 record vs. ACC opponents and tying Clemson for second in the league. Louisville matters again. A very good thing for college basketball.

Kelsey wasn’t Louisville’s first, second, third or fourth choice, but that didn’t stop him from making the most of a terrible situation he was inheriting. The program sunk to unthinkable depths under Kenny Payne, winning just 12 games the past two seasons. Kelsey matched that by Jan. 11 — doing so despite losing multiple players to injury. Now he’s brought back some good pieces and had a huge NIL budget to work with again, putting the Cards in position to be a top-10 roster heading into the fall.

Arkansas: John Calipari 

As I wrote in March, it was a turbulent season for the Razorbacks under their new leader. But any season that ends with a Sweet 16 appearance for the Hogs has to be assessed a success. This is a program, after all, that had a Sweet 16 drought from 1997-2021. Calipari finished with a 22-14 mark, including a win at Kentucky on Feb. 1 (when few gave a lagging Arkansas team any shot) and an ugly-but-we’ll-take-it upset win over No. 2 St. John’s i in the second round of the NCAAs (with Arkansas as a 10). 

The Hogs did it in spite of injury issues for much of the season. They did it in spite of an offense that resembled some of Calipari’s most frustrating schemes in the back half of his Kentucky era. Winning in March cures many ills, and so it was the case for Arkansas. Year 1 in Fayetteville was tumultuous for many weeks, but by the end (even with that cringey loss to Texas Tech in the Sweet 16), it’s fair to call it a success. 

Vanderbilt: Mark Byington

The Commodores brought on Byington, who oversaw a mid-major powerhouse James Madison team go 32-4 after beating Wisconsin and making the second round of the NCAAs in 2024. He arrived in Nashville, underwent a grueling roster flip, and managed to more than merely tread water in the treacherous SEC. The league was historically elite thanks to teams like Vandy just as much as the Floridas, Auburns, Alabamas and Tennessees. 

Under Byington, the ‘Dores broke on through with a 15-3 start, ultimately finishing 20-13 and with a 59-56 loss to Saint Mary’s in a 7/10 first round matchup. Sustaining relevance at Vanderbilt is historically one of the most challenging asks of any program at the power-conference level. But if he keeps it up, Byington will be a hot name on the coaching carousel once again.

Mid-major noisemakers in Year 1

When it comes to mid-majors, I don’t require an NCAA Tournament trip in order to receive some recognition. That said, making it to the Dance is reason for automatic inclusion. There were three places with first-year coaches that broke through on Selection Sunday. I’ve also included three more mid-major coaches who hit the 20-win threshold in their first tours at their new digs.

Drake: Ben McCollum 

Quite clearly the biggest mid-major winner of last season. Only three teams finished the season with as few as four losses: national champion Florida, Duke (finished No. 1 at KenPom) and McCollum’s team. The Bulldogs went 31-4, won an NCAA Tournament game and earned a too-low 11-seed after owning the Missouri Valley. McCollum took the Iowa job in short order after obliterating the bar for success at that level. In winning nearly 89% of his games, McCollum is off to one of the best starts by a D-I coach ever. That’s why Drake’s the only school listed in this story to lose its coach less than 12 months after hiring him.

Utah State: Jerrod Calhoun 

Something about this program enables almost anyone to come in and produce good results. Calhoun got his chance and posted an impressive 26-8 record, which included a No. 10 seed in the Big Dance. Utah State was summarily bounced by UCLA in the first round, but still: 26 wins and a 16-6 record against Mountain West teams is a sweet follow-up to Danny Sprinkle going 28-7 and making the second round of the NCAAs the year before. 

Mount St. Mary’s:Donny Lind 

Imagine getting your first chance at being a head coach and taking a mid-major to the NCAAs right away. Not easy. But it’s what Lind did in the MAAC. The Mountaineers went 23-13 and even earned some NCAA Tournament cash by beating American in the First Four, earning the right to get walloped by Duke two days later. That’s good living!

Charleston: Chris Mack 

To the surprise of nobody, Mack was as good as advertised: a 24-9 debut season in the CAA, including a one-point semifinal loss in the league tournament. No NCAA Tournament, but a quality first year. The 55-year-old has an envious NIL budget at that level and figures to have a squad that ranks among the 10-15 best mid-majors in the sport next season. Standard is high here and it’s unlikely to drop with Mack around.

James Madison: Preston Spradlin

Spradlin arrived here after taking Morehead State to a pair of NCAA Tournaments. The Dukes were part of a four-way tie atop the Sun Belt (13-5) and ultimately finished 20-12. A good foundation — after having to do some major roster reworking. It would be no surprise if Spradlin had the Dukes back in the Big Dance in 2026 or 2027.

Marshall: Cornelius Jackson 

I can’t list JMU and not include Marshall. Under Jackson, the Thundering Herd — in the same conference as JMU — finished just one game behind the Dukes (12-6) and ultimately matched with 20 wins in the Sun Belt. A nice introduction at a program with just one NCAA Tournament this century.

MORE: Read our 2024-25 All-Transfer Team.

WICHITA, Kan. – Fresh off an impressive showing on Senior Weekend, Lauren Lucas has been named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Week, it was announced Monday afternoon.

The Little Elm, Texas, native was 7-for-12 (.583) with five home runs, eight runs scored and nine RBIs in four games last week. Lucas hit home runs in each of the four games, including a two-home run game in the series finale vs. Charlotte. She has already set a new career high in home runs this season with 13, besting her previous career high of 10 in 2022. Nine of those 13 home runs have come in conference play.

This is the fourth AAC Player of the Week honor for Lucas in her career and second of the season.

Lucas and the Shockers wrap up the regular season this week with their home finale Wednesday night vs. Kansas and then the final conference series at Memphis, May 2-4.

Who are we to judge a player like Quinn Ewers for his decision to pass up millions in NIL money for an opportunity to live out a dream of playing in the NFL? 

I found myself asking this question over the weekend, as we watched players being taken in the NFL Draft. Social media, which is not real life, were in a constant uproar as Ewers sat in what looked like a taxidermy office, watching other players hear their names called over the course of seven rounds. 

Up until his name was finally called in the seventh round, with the Miami Dolphins taking a chance on the Texas quarterback, the questions about whether Quinn Ewers should have stayed in college for another season to collect loads of cash through an NIL deal were running rampant. 

But, we were missing the point with the former Texas Longhorns gunslinger. 

For the past two years, Quinn Ewers has dealt with more than some quarterbacks deal with during their entire tenure at one school. Oh yea, some people forget about the fact that Ewers led Texas to back-to-back college football playoff appearances, while Arch Manning sat on the sidelines waiting for his opportunity to take over the coveted position. 

Would Quinn Ewers Have Upped His Draft Stock Next Season?

While Quinn Ewers would have easily made over $5 million if he had entered the transfer portal, and not declared for the NFL Draft, the Texas quarterback was done playing college football. It wasn’t as if he was receiving bad advice from his agents or coaching staff. Ewers knew he could be sitting for a while at home, waiting on that phone call from an NFL team wanting to take a chance on a quarterback who has battled through multiple injuries over the last two seasons. 

Sure, Ewers could have returned for another season of college football. But would it have actually helped his draft stock? What more could he have done this upcoming season? It’s not as if teams were harping on his injuries that he overcame during his time at Texas. 

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JANUARY 10: Arch Manning #16 and Quinn Ewers #3 of the Texas Longhorns prior to the Goodyear Cotton Bowl against the Ohio State Buckeyes at AT&T Stadium on January 10, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by CFP/Getty Images)

Would he have succeeded at Notre Dame this year, or any other top-tier program looking to bring in a veteran quarterback? That question will be left unanswered. But, do we actually think he will go in the first few rounds next year? I highly doubt it, though others will obviously disagree. 

Here’s a look at the quarterbacks who will be eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft. 

• Drew Allar
• Arch Manning
• LaNorris Sellers
• Garrett Nussmeir
• Sam Leavitt
• Dante Moore
• Cade Klubnik
• Carson Beck

Ok, so we want to argue that Ewers would’ve gone before 70% of those guys listed? If you didn’t notice from this years NFL Draft, teams are not looking for projects. There looking for guys who can come in immediately and compete. Besides Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart and Shedeur Sanders, are there quarterbacks that were taken in this year’s draft that could compete for a starting job to open the 2025 season? 

The answer is no, unless a team found lighting in a bottle. 

Quinn Ewers Was Ready To Live Out A Dream, Not Chase The Money

For all the stuff that we give players for entering the transfer portal and chasing money for another season of college football, Quinn Ewers decided it was time to move on. Why are we bashing the young man for wanting to achieve a dream, and not going to the highest bidder in the collegiate ranks? 

At the end of the day, this was his choice. It’s not up to us to decide what’s best for a player. He’ll have to live with the decision, and he seems pretty content with the choice to move on to the professional ranks. 

Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier mentioned that Ewers had respect from his teammates, while also discussing his competitiveness on the field. 

“Mike [McDaniel] and I. We met him the year before at the Texas workout, and we spent some time,” Grier mentioned about Ewers during his press conference. “We talked to coach [Steve] Sarkisian about him, and ‘Sark’ really likes him and was high [on him] and was talking about him playing through the injuries this year, which affected his play a little bit. But he talked about his toughness, his mental toughness, the pushing through with the injury, the expectations, all the pressure with [Arch] Manning there coming in, and so he loved his competitiveness and how he plays and how his teammates respond to him.

“So, he was someone that we always had an eye on looking at, and the opportunity at that point in the draft just made sense for us to pull the pick.”

Quinn Ewers lived out his dream of playing college football, and took a chance on the NFL Draft Via: Trey Wallace

For all the talk from fans about how the college game has turned into just chasing the bag, Quinn Ewers decided to chase his dream. He accomplished things in college football that some quarterbacks can only dream of. 

At the end of the day, he wanted to move on. So, who are we to critique his decision? It might work out for Quinn Ewers in the NFL, down the road after learning how to be a professional quarterback. If it doesn’t, then that’s an outcome that Ewers will be able to live with. 

The former Longhorn helped lead his favorite team to the college football playoff, helped Steve Sarkisian rebuild the Texas program and made a good amount of money doing it. 

Quinn Ewers did it the right way, and now he gets an opportunity to chase another dream. Looking back, he made a decision that was best for him, which is all that matters. 

NEW YORK — A federal judge dismissed an antitrust lawsuit Monday that had been brought against the NCAA by several former college basketball players, including Kansas standout Mario Chalmers, after ruling its claims fell outside the four-year statute of limitations.

The lawsuit, which included 16 total players who played before June 16, 2016, claimed that the NCAA had enriched itself by utilizing their names, images and likenesses to promote its men’s basketball tournament. That date in 2016 is the earliest date for players to be included in the House v. NCAA antitrust settlement awaiting final approval from a federal judge.

U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer pointed toward a four-year statute of limitations for federal antitrust violations, despite the lawsuit contending that the law continues to be breached by the NCAA’s use of the players’ NIL in March Madness promotions.

Chalmers famously hit a tying 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left for Kansas in the 2008 title game against Memphis, a highlight that remains a staple of NCAA tournament packages. The Jayhawks went on to win the championship in overtime.

“The NCAA’s use today of a NIL acquired decades ago as the fruit of an antitrust violation does not constitute a new overt act restarting the limitations clock,” Engelmayer wrote in the 34-page decision. “Instead, as the NCAA argues, the contemporary use of a NIL reflects performance of an aged agreement: a contract between the student-athlete and the NCAA under which it acquired footage and images of the plaintiff.”

Engelmayer also noted that the plaintiffs were part of the class in O’Bannon v. NCAA, the 2015 case that helped to usher in the age of NIL payments so the lawsuit was not demonstrably different from other settled cases involving the athletes.

The two teams faced off earlier this month in Abilene, Tech taking the contest 7-3. Historically, Tech is 18-4 against the Wildcats and have won the last three meetings between the teams.

Following tomorrow’s game, the Red Raiders will head to Provo to close out the regular season against BYU before heading to the Big 12 Championship in Oklahoma City where they will be the No. 1 overall seed.

Previously in Tech softball:

• The Red Raiders clinched their first ever Big 12 regular season title this past weekend after taking the series 2-1 against Arizona State. Tech has now won all seven of its Big 12 series this season leading into the final weekend against BYU.
• NiJaree Canady continues to impress as her 0.88 ERA is atop the national leader board. Canady also picked up her 20^th and 21^st wins of the season, making her just the sixth pitcher in program history to eclipse 20 wins. And for the second straight month, Canady was named the No. 1 pitcher in the country by Softball America.
• Tech also recorded its 18^th and 19^th shutout victories on the season, tying the program record set in 1998. Tech has also clinched its best overall home record as they sit at 17-2 heading into tomorrow’s home finale.

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge dismissed an antitrust lawsuit Monday that had been brought against the NCAA by several former college basketball players, including Kansas standout Mario Chalmers, after ruling its claims fell outside the four-year statute of limitations.

The lawsuit, which included 16 total players who played before June 16, 2016, claimed that the NCAA had enriched itself by utilizing their names, images and likenesses to promote its men’s basketball tournament. That date in 2016 is the earliest date for players to be included in the House v. NCAA antitrust settlement awaiting final approval from a federal judge.

U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer pointed toward a four-year statute of limitations for federal antitrust violations, despite the lawsuit contending that the law continues to be breached by the NCAA’s use of the players’ NIL in March Madness promotions.

Chalmers famously hit a tying 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left for Kansas in the 2008 title game against Memphis, a highlight that remains a staple of NCAA Tournament packages. The Jayhawks went on to win the championship in overtime.

“The NCAA’s use today of a NIL acquired decades ago as the fruit of an antitrust violation does not constitute a new overt act restarting the limitations clock,” Engelmayer wrote in the 34-page decision. “Instead, as the NCAA argues, the contemporary use of a NIL reflects performance of an aged agreement: a contract between the student-athlete and the NCAA under which it acquired footage and images of the plaintiff.”

Engelmayer also noted that the plaintiffs were part of the class in O’Bannon v. NCAA, the 2015 case that helped to usher in the age of NIL payments so the lawsuit was not demonstrably different from other settled cases involving the athletes.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports