Jerrod Calhoun Hiring Earns Strong Grade as 2026 Transfer Portal Heats up for Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball

It is safe to say that Jerrod Calhoun is joining a Cincinnati program with a fervent sense of excitement, and with that excitement comes expectations.

The Bearcats have not made the NCAA Tournament since 2019, a far cry from the standards that Mick Cronin and Bob Huggins once set.

Yet the hiring of Calhoun almost feels tailor-made, which only adds to the excitement. Having worked under Huggins at two different stops, Calhoun eventually left to take on Fairmont State, where his 124-38 record pulled him to Youngstown State and eventually to Utah State before he caught the eye of John Cunningham.

CBS Sports Gives Calhoun’s Hiring A Strong Grade

In Cody Nagel’s college basketball coaching carousel grades, Cincinnati was handed an A- for Calhoun’s hiring.

“...Calhoun brings local ties and a winning pedigree that checks every box for a program in need of stability,” quotes Nagel.

“Calhoun brings local ties and a winning pedigree that checks every box for a program in need of stability. Calhoun has consistently built winners at every stop. He guided Utah State to a 55-15 record over two seasons with back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths, and his prior stints at Youngstown State and Division II Fairmont State produced multiple 20-win seasons and postseason runs.”

Calhoun’s last season with Utah State in the Mountain West ended with a stellar 29-7 record, where the Aggies won the Mountain West regular season championship, the conference tournament title, and made it to the round of 32 before falling to eventual Final Four candidates Arizona.

Utah State finished last season as one of the nation’s most explosive offenses, scoring 81.4 points per game, which finished 42nd in the country.

Getting Off On The Right Foot

While Calhoun has been given a king's welcome to the Bearcats, with the NCAA Transfer Portal officially opening, Calhoun is well aware of the work it will take to repair the middling program.

“But you don't stop working. At the end of the day, life's about getting on to the next chapter. As soon as all this hoopla ends, and I'm going to go back to my hotel tonight with a headache, because I'm going to have 1,000 things to do by 10 a.m. tomorrow,” quoted Calhoun, during his introductory press conference.

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