FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek is in Phoenix attending College Football Playoff committee meetings, but he also figures to get in some talks about basketball.
Phoenix is loaded with coaches this weekend attending the Final Four, which will be held at State Farm Stadium in suburban Glendale, Ariz.
Jimmy Dykes, a college basketball analyst for ESPN and SEC Network, said Yurachek will have plenty of good candidates interested in being the Razorbacks’ next coach.
“Muss leaving is a big loss to Arkansas in my opinion, but Arkansas is going to hire a really good coach because it’s a great job,” said Dykes, a former Razorbacks player and coach of the UA women’s team. “What Muss left behind is a very, very desirable job by a lot of coaches across the country.”
Yurachek had a post on social media that said he was appreciate of Musselman’s work at Arkansas and wishing him and his family the best as they pursue their next chapter.
“I am confident we will identify a leader for our program that will build on the rich tradition of Razorback Basketball and provide a nationally competitive program for our University, our state and passionate Razorback fans everywhere.”
Ole Miss Coach Chris Beard is on several short lists for the Arkansas job put together by national media analysts.
Beard, 51, led the Rebels to a 20-12 record in his first season at Ole Miss — and turned down an NIT bid — after being fired at Texas in January of 2023 when he was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence. The charges later were dropped.
In Beard’s first job as an NCAA Division I coach, he led the University of Arkansas-Little Rock to a 30-5 record during the 2015-16 season and Sun Belt Conference regular-season and tournament titles. The Trojans beat Purdue in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Other coaches who could make sense for Arkansas include:
Will Wade, 41, who led McNeese State to a 30-4 record and the NCAA Tournament this season after having a 105-51 record in five seasons at LSU with three NCAA Tournament appearances.
Lamont Paris, 49, the SEC Coach of the Year who led South Carolina to a 26-6 record in his second season after the Gamecocks were picked to finish last in the conference. He and Yurachek worked together at Akron, where Paris was an assistant coach and Yurachek an associate athletic director.
Jerome Tang, 57, who has a 45-25 record in two seasons at Kansas State and led the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight in 2023. He was a long-time Baylor assistant and helped the Bears win the national championship in 2021.
Dykes said shortly after news of Musselman’s hiring at USC was announced, he heard from coaches interested in the Arkansas job.
“I won’t tell you any names, but I’ve already had three good head coaches call me asking about the Arkansas job,” Dykes said. “The message is the same to all of them — it’s one of the top 10 jobs in college basketball.
“The SEC is not going to go backwards. It’s going to hang in there as one of the top two or three leagues every year. It’s a league that’s going to have 8, 9 or 10 teams in the NCAA Tournament every year.”
The SEC will expand to 16 teams next season with the addition of Oklahoma and Texas.
Arkansas sold out Walton Arena in each of the previous two seasons.
“There’s not a more passionate fanbase than Arkansas,” Dykes said. “There’s some that can rival it, but there’s not any that’s more passionate.”
The Razorbacks have statewide support, he added.
“One of the great things about coaching at Arkansas is all the eyes in the state are on you,” Dykes said. “There are no pro sports, nothing to deflect the attention on you.
“That’s great when you’re winning, and it’s also a real issue when you’re not because there’s nowhere to hide. There’s no other topic in this state, but that’s what makes Arkansas a special job.”
“The quicker the better, but not at the expense of not getting it right,” Dykes said. “The most important thing is to hire the right guy.
“But in a perfect world, you try to get it done in the next two or three days.”
