3 Possible Hires that Fans Would Be Intrigued by as KSU's Next Head Basketball Coach

Here is a look at the first candidate, who is unlikely to leave his current job but may be tempted by a new challenge in Manhattan.

Brad Brownell has been the face of Clemson basketball for a long time. But after Jerome Tang was relieved of his duties at Kansas State, some started to wonder if the Tigers' all-time winningest coach could be attracted to Manhattan.

Brownell just signed a big deal to stay at Clemson until 2031, but for many reasons, transferring to Kansas State would be quite appealing. Even though Brownell has done a terrific job at Clemson, Dabo Swinney and a football squad that has won championships will always be a big shadow over him and his program.

In Manhattan, basketball is just as significant as other sports, if not more so. This is a selling point about K-State, as the fans' support for both football and basketball is on par with one another, like at Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Texas Tech. In the ACC's southern region, where football is more popular, it's challenging to keep a "basketball-first" mindset in a place like Clemson.

At this part of the season, the Big 12 is arguably the best basketball league in the country. Brownell, who has already set records in the ACC at Clemson, might want the challenge of playing teams like Houston, Iowa State, BYU, Texas Tech, Kansas, and Arizona. The ACC still has top-tier blue-blood programs like North Carolina and Duke, as well as quality programs like Virginia and Louisville, but the Big 12 has shown to be a better basketball conference recently.

There are credible rumors that claim that Kansas State has considerably increased its NIL collective expenditures so that it can compete with the other institutions. Brownell has many fans at Clemson, but if he leaves, he would get a "honeymoon period" and maybe even access to a more aggressive group of donors who want to take on the Wildcats' top rival, Kansas, as the Wildcats have done successfully in football.

Brownell is at the top of his career right now because he led Clemson to the Elite Eight in 2024 and is on pace to lead the Tigers to at least 23 wins for the fourth straight season. Brownell, who has been at Clemson for over 15 years, is one of a few coaches who may want one last challenge before retiring. He would leave on his terms, after proving that he could do well at a "football school" and had led Clemson to the NCAA Tournament three of the last five seasons. It is still unlikely he would leave Clemson, but not impossible.

Here is the second possible coaching candidate who may be tempted to become the next head coach of the Wildcats.

Fred Hoiberg may be tempted to go to Kansas State, even after leading Nebraska to a top 10 ranking this season and the 2025 College Basketball Crown last season. The Wildcats want to find a winner who has won previously and can do well in the middle of America's Heartland. If Hoiberg is considering leaving the Big Ten for the Big 12 for several reasons, here they are.

Hoiberg played in the Big 12, and his first head coaching job was in the Big 12 conference as well. He was the Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2012 and was anointed "The Mayor" of Iowa State after they won the Big 12 Tournaments in 2014 and 2015.

Hoiberg has a deeper understanding of the Big 12, the new NIL landscape, and the game than most other coaches. He might not like the Big Ten's "slugfests," which are mostly defense, as much as coming back to the conference where he established his name.

Nebraska has arguably the most loyal fanbase and arguably the nicest fanbase in the Big Ten, but it's also one of the hardest places to win games for college basketball. Also, some publications have Kansas State as the friendliest fanbase in the country, so it wouldn't be a huge change for Hoiberg. In the past, Kansas State's "floor" and "ceiling" have been substantially higher than Nebraska's, which is a selling point. Basketball is a huge part of the athletic department in Manhattan, so Hoiberg wouldn't have to deal with the "football-first" image that still exists in Lincoln.

Hoiberg, like Tom Izzo, cares a lot about sets and spacing, just like in the NBA where he was an NBA head coach of the Chicago Bulls. Fans of Kansas State didn't love Jerome Tang's offensive philosophy these past seasons. Fans who miss the fast-paced days of the past would love Hoiberg's "pro-style" style. Bramlage Coliseum is also said to be a more "intimate and intimidating" place to watch basketball than Pinnacle Bank Arena, which Hoiberg may welcome. This provides Hoiberg an edge at home, which may help him reach the Final Four, which he hasn't done yet in his coaching career.

Hoiberg was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year for 2024 and has had success with the Cornhuskers the past three seasons after a rough four-year stretch in the beginning in Lincoln. He has led Nebraska basketball to a great three-year stretch and has the Cornhuskers heading to greatness. Hoiberg's reputation is at its peak, and Kansas State could present him with a substantial NIL package and a new beginning in a culture centered not just around football. He may see this as his great chance to move to a program with newly infused resources. To Nebraska's credit, its fanbase and the university have been very supportive of Hoiberg and the basketball program, but unlike Kansas State, where the football and basketball programs are nearly equally supportive, football comes first for Nebraska, and they may help in motivating Hoiberg to consider K-State.

The last current head coach may benefit from a change of scenery by coming back out west.

It would be a big surprise if someone hired Mark Pope from Kentucky. Even if he went to Kentucky and won a national championship as a player for the Wildcats, the high stakes and severe pressure of college basketball these days might convert even a "dream job" into a "departure job."

Mark Pope might want to move from Lexington to Manhattan for the following reasons. Every year, people think that Kentucky will win the national title, as the expectations are very high year in and year out in Lexington. Pope had a successful first season, taking the Wildcats to the Sweet 16 in 2025, but fans are quite disappointed with the 2025–26 season since the team has had a lot of trouble early on and is currently 17-8.

Fans at Kansas State are still quite eager, even though the stakes aren't as high as they are in Lexington, where they have to win it all or the season is a failure. Pope could employ his innovative, scientific offensive strategy free from concerns about a potential "cold war" with the administration or supporters who view anything less than reaching the Final Four as a failure.

Pope became quite popular after doing well as the head coach of BYU for five seasons. He did especially well against Iowa State, Kansas, and Baylor in his last year at BYU in 2024. He has a lot of experience recruiting and playing against teams that are in the Big 12. He may think that the Big 12 is a better long-term fit for his coaching style than the SEC.

Pope would undoubtedly have almost complete control over the team's future at Kansas State. The university and the athletic department would be eager to give Pope anything he needed within reason to get the program to compete once again for championships. These actions would give the school a sense of solidarity that is hard to find in comparison to a high-pressure school like Kentucky.

Kentucky gave a five-year, $27.5 million deal to Pope. The deal provides incentives, but it is heavily reliant on success, offering incentives for making deep runs in the NCAA Tournament. K-State might offer Pope a long-term, fully guaranteed "life-changer" deal that does not require him to meet incentives for additional annual income. He might see it as a chance to get a job at a school, where he would have much more job stability.

Out of these three possible head coaching candidates, Hoiberg would make sense to be the next Kansas State head coach. While Pope and Brownell could be excellent candidates to be the Wildcats' next head coach, Hoiberg would be the best fit and the most realistic coach to come to Manhattan. As the coaching search may last til April as the college basketball season ends, K-State fans may have to be patient.

3 Possible Hires that Fans Would Be Intrigued by as KSU's Next Head Basketball Coach

Here is a look at the first candidate, who is unlikely to leave his current job but may be tempted by a new challenge in Manhattan.

Here is the second possible coaching candidate who may be tempted to become the next head coach of the Wildcats.

The last current head coach may benefit from a change of scenery by coming back out west.

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