A Familiar Fork in the Road: Utah State seeks stability in latest Coaching Search
Mar 25, 2026, 7:37 PM | Updated: Mar 27, 2026, 6:54 am
LOGAN, Utah – Nationwide coaching searches following program-defining seasons have become a familiar reality for Utah State basketball in recent years.
The trend continued when Jerrod Calhoun departed for his alma mater, Cincinnati, less than 24 hours after the Aggies’ Round of 32 loss to Arizona.
His sudden exit sends Director of Athletics Cameron Walker into a pivotal moment—launching his first men’s basketball coaching hire and shaping the program’s trajectory for years to come.
RELATED: USU begins third coaching search in four years after Jerrod Calhoun’s departure
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Since now-USU Hall of Famer Stew Morrill accepted the job in 1998, Utah State has cycled through five coaches, with only longtime Morrill assistant Tim Duryea lacking prior head-coaching experience.
Before Duryea, every Aggie head man, dating back to Bobby Knight disciple Kohn Smith—who went 63–78 in Logan from 1988 to 1993—brought significant head coaching experience to the position.
Notably, Smith and Duryea remain the only Aggie coaches since Joe Whitesides (1947–50) to finish their Utah State tenures with sub-.500 records.
Let’s talk potential Head Coaches at USU.
Even over multiple AD’s, Utah State has had a ‘type’ over the last four coaches that have been hired – all four of which were highly successful.
Something all four had in common:
– Under 49 years old
– Current Head Coach
– Mid/Low…— Scott Garrard (@ScottyGZone) March 25, 2026
This history underscores how stability and proven leadership have been essential to the program—and why Walker’s upcoming hire carries added significance.
“Utah State men’s basketball is one of the premier basketball programs in the country,” said Walker in a press release announcing Calhoun’s exit. “We will continue investing at a high level as we pursue championships and competitive excellence in the new Pac-12. The support of Cache Valley further enhances this amazing opportunity in Logan. Our fans and the HURD are phenomenal. We will work relentlessly to identify the next men’s basketball leader, who will continue to build on our rich tradition.”
With that context in mind, attention now shifts to the candidates who could replace Calhoun and take the reins in Logan.
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Todd Phillips
Utah Valley Wolverines
We begin our search a couple of hours south of Logan and Utah Valley’s Todd Phillips.
A coaching protege of former Los Angeles Laker Mark Madsen, Phillips took over the Wolverines head coaching job in 2023 after Madsen accepted the same position at Cal.
Gotcha @ToddPhillips7 #GoUVU | #ValleyForged pic.twitter.com/oEMPYvoPOg
— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) January 30, 2026
The Boise, Idaho, native fits USU’s pattern of pursuing candidates with head job experience.
Phillips is 66-34 in three seasons with UVU and led the Wolverines to the brink of the program’s first NCAA tournament appearance this season before falling in the WAC championship game as the league’s No. 1 seed.
The 2025 WAC Coach of the Year has led Utah Valley to back-to-back 25-9 records and WAC regular-season championships.
Before becoming an assistant at UVU, Phillips built a 205-98 record and won the 2016 NJCAA National Championship with Salt Lake Community College.
Eric Olen
New Mexico Lobos
Eric Olen became the 23rd head coach in New Mexico history less than one year ago after a tremendous 12-year run at UC San Diego.
In his first season with the program, Olen piloted the Lobos to a 26-10 overall record and third-place in the Mountain West regular season.
New Mexico is quietly one of the hottest teams in the country right now 🐺
8-1 in their last nine games, the Lobos have beaten:
San Jose State (A)
UNLV by 28 (A)
Nevada
Fresno State
GCU by 23
Air Force by 42 (A)
CSU (A)
Wyoming by 20First year HC Eric Olen is on a heater 🔥 pic.twitter.com/FNalXzUmyF
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) February 1, 2026
Perhaps a major positive on Olen’s resume is his ability to elevate UC San Diego from a Division II power to Division I, while leading the program to the 2025 NCAA Tournament in its first year of eligibility.
He left the Tritons as the all-time winningest coach in program history (240-119).
He was named Big West Coach of the Year and the NABC Pacific District Coach of the Year after leading the Tritons to a 30-5 record.
Flynn Clayman
High Point Panthers
Flynn Clayman is one of two potential candidates on our list who find themselves in a position to upgrade after record-setting seasons with Cinderella programs.
Clayman’s High Point Panthers knocked off fifth-seeded Wisconsin to claim the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament victory. High Point finished Clayman’s first year leading the team with a 31-5 record.
High Point HC Flynn Clayman: “It looks pretty obvious to me that high-majors need to play mid-majors early in the season. Because they said we didn’t play nobody. We played somebody now… Nobody would play us. Just like they wouldn’t play Miami (Ohio).”pic.twitter.com/nXB2RMZNaa https://t.co/pmdLjJWbPW
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 19, 2026
He was named the Big South Conference Co-Coach of the Year alongside Winthrop’s Mark Prosser.
Clayman’s offensive schemes helped High Point average 89.7 points per game, the third most in the nation.
Travis Steele
Miami (Ohio) Redhawks
Like Clayman, Travis Steele‘s Miami Redhawks became a national story as they piled up wins to begin the 2025-26 season. The Redhawks won 31 consecutive games before suffering their first loss of the season in the MAC Tournament.
Steele was able to regroup his team and earn an 89-79 First Four win over SMU to reach the Round of 64. Miami’s season came to a crashing halt with a loss to Tennessee.
He is 84-48 (.636) with one NCAA Tournament appearance in four seasons at Ohio.
Justin Gainey
Tennessee Volunteers Assistant
A member of Rick Barnes’ Tennessee staff who took down the Miami Redhawks, Justin Gainey is primed for his first collegiate head coaching opportunity.
While he is the only candidate mentioned here without head-coaching experience, his relationship with Walker is worth noting.
He was hired in 2022, when Walker held the sports administrator position for Tennessee men’s basketball, and the two worked closely together until Walker’s departure in 2023.
— Justin Gainey (@CoachGainey) November 23, 2022
Gainey has 19 years of administrative and DI coaching on his resume and has been UT’s associate head coach for the past three seasons.
He was named to the Silver Waves Media 100 Most Impactful High Major Coaches List in January 2026.
Craig Smith
The only person on this list who is not currently on a college staff, Craig Smith, brings plenty of familiarity to Cache Valley. Before taking the head job with the University of Utah in 2021, Smith went 74-24 in three seasons as an Aggie.
With current NBA rotation players Sam Merrill and Neemias Queta leading the way on the floor, Smith piloted the Aggies to consecutive Mountain West Tournament Championships and three straight 20-plus win seasons.
His success did not carry over to a stint with the Runnin’ Utes, leading to his sudden termination during the 2024-25 season. He did not coach during the 2025-26 season.
Smith went 65-62 in four-plus seasons at Utah. The Utes failed to reach the NCAA Tournament under Smith’s leadership.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
