Was Ryan Odom the Most Successful First Year Head Coach in the country during the 2025-2026 Season?

Odom had a brilliant debut season for Virginia, but did that make him the most successful year one head coach?

Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Ryan Odom looks on during the second half against the Wright State Raiders during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

While the season may not have ended how anyone in Charlottesville may have wanted, it was a smashing success for first-year head coach Ryan Odom. Odom took over a program that had missed the NCAA Tournament after legendary head coach Tony Bennett had stepped aside before the 2-24-2025 season, and Odom went to work in the transfer portal to put together a team that won 30 games, made the ACC tournament championship, and was the No. 3 seed in the Midwest region in the NCAA Tournament, winning one game before falling to Tennessee.

Best first year head coach?

There were plenty of successful first-year head coaches, such as Iowa's Ben McCollum, Miami's Jai Lucas, Sean Miller at Texas, and Bryan Hodgson at South Florida (now at Providence), among others. When talking about the first-year head coach, CBS Sports college basketball analyst Matt Norlander had Odom at the top:

"The Wahoos didn't go as far in the NCAA Tournament as any school with a first-year coach, but on balance, they had the best season. Virginia was the only power-conference program with a first-year coach who won at least 30 games. The Cavaliers finished 30-6 and earned a No. 3 seed, the team's best year since Tony Bennett's national title season in 2018-19. Odom's team fell to sixth-seeded Tennessee in the second round, but a second-place ACC finish to Duke, a really good portal haul in Year 1, and a top-20 team in the country are great things to build on."

I think there were a lot of first year head coaches who were successful, but Odom stands out because of the amount of work that he had to to rebuild the roster and culture at Virginia after Bennett had been there for so long. Lucas could say the same at Miami, but Odom winning more games and reaching higher levels than Lucas did this season, though both only got one NCAA Tournament win.

So what is in store for year two under Odom?

Roster retention was the main goal for Odom this offseason, and they have accomplished that. Thijs de Ridder (first team all-ACC), Johann Grunloh, Sam Lewis, Chance Mallory, and others have announced their return for another season and make a run at an ACC Tournament championship, and to make it farther in the NCAA Tournament than they did this past season. They still have to make some important additions through the portal to address their depth, but there is still time for Odom and his staff to get the players they need.

Odom was a fantastic hire a year ago and it was an incredible first season in Charlottesville. The future appears very bright for Virginia basketball.