Jerrod Calhoun Details Mindset on Open Jobs Like Cincinnati During NCAA Tournament Run

CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Bearcats basketball is on the search for a new head coach, and Utah State's Jerrod Calhoun is a prime option to land the gig.

He discussed the effect of all the coaching change chatter on his nine-seeded Aggies, who just got a first-round win in the NCAA Tournament over Villanova.

"We've had these rumors for years, right?" Calhoun said about his name being in coaching discussions. "I mean, when's the last Utah State coach that hasn't been rumored for a job? Anytime you have success, coaches are trying to steal your players, and athletic directors certainly want to talk to the coaches. So continue to have inner excellence. Realize these things are not easy to come by. You don't take your days for granted. You live in the moment, you stay present, and you worry about the Wildcats. The has really been my focus."

Focused On The Moment

Mar 19, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Utah State Aggies head coach Jerrod Calhoun looks on during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

He isn't afraid to speak his mind after voicing frustration about his top-30 team, by most metrics, getting seeded ninth entering this tournament. A place Cincinnati hasn't been all decade.

“Really happy with the location for our fans and for our players—obviously San Diego is close—but I think the seed was absolutely atrocious,” Calhoun said on Selection Sunday. “The one thing we don’t have is the (Quad 1) wins, but we’ve got great metrics on both sides of the ball. We’re top 30 in offense, top 50 in defense. I thought for sure a six or a seven (seed), was really hoping for one of those.”

The former Youngstown State head coach has risen steadily over the past 20 years after graduating from Cincinnati in 2004 and coaching under Bob Huggins to start his career.

A few other jobs, like Providence and Syracuse, reportedly filled their positions with South Florida's Nate Hodgson and Sienna's Gerry McNamara this weekend, while Arizona State is tied to St. Mary's lead man Randy Bennett. That leaves Cincinnati as the clear best job left and a clear best candidate in Calhoun, with St. Louis's Josh Schertz still not taking a job this cycle as well.

UC will likely have this role filled in the next week to get ready for the transfer portal on April 7.

Check out the full clip of Calhoun from KSL Sports' Sam Farnsworth below:

Utah State head basketball coach Jerrod Calhoun addressed his name being linked to possible other head coaching jobs.

"When's the last Utah State coach that hasn't been rumored for a job?"#AggiesAllTheWay @kslsports #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/Fb1OT602KG
— Sam Farnsworth (@Samsworth_TV) March 21, 2026

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