Down goes the first domino.
Kansas State fired Jerome Tang for cause Sunday night, midway through his fourth season in Manhattan — and in doing so, officially kicked off this spring’s coaching carousel. Tang is the first high-major head coach to be fired this season, but he certainly won’t be the last.
There had been rumblings about Tang’s future for weeks, despite his $18.7 million buyout, and those grew louder in the days after his postgame news conference following the Wildcats’ 91-62 home loss to Cincinnati on Wednesday, when he said his players “do not deserve to wear this uniform.” (Since Tang is expected to be fired for cause, attorneys for the coach and Kansas State are reportedly in negotiations over his buyout.) It’s hard to believe things fell apart so quickly for the 59-year-old Tang — his debut team earned a No. 3 seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament and made the Elite Eight — but Tang went 45-47 overall and 18-32 in Big 12 play in the two-plus seasons since.
All of which is to say: Kansas State needs a new men’s basketball coach.
How good is the job?
In the modern era, probably better than most casual fans realize.
That’s because Kansas State has embraced name, image and likeness (NIL) as a means to entice top talent to campus. Look no further than point guard PJ Haggerty, an All-American at Memphis last season, who Tang made one of the highest-paid transfers in America over the summer. The Wildcats have shown a propensity to pay top-of-market in the NIL era, even if it hasn’t made a huge difference in the win-loss column. The resources are there for Tang’s successor to immediately flip his roster, maybe more than many of the high-major jobs expected to open this cycle.
The NIL component makes up for Kansas State’s lackluster overall spending in men’s basketball. According to U.S. Department of Education data from 2023-24 (the most recent year for which data is available), the Wildcats were 43rd among public institutions in men’s basketball expenses, at about $10.9 million. That’s better than just four other Big 12 schools — Iowa State, Utah, Arizona State and Colorado — and well behind league front-runners like Kansas and Arizona.
The Big 12 — with four top-10 teams and two others in the Top 25 — is college basketball’s deepest and most top-heavy conference, which some coaches will be attracted to … and others will not, preferring to join a league with less resistance at the top, like the ACC or Big East. The next Kansas State coach has to go through at least Bill Self (Kansas), Kelvin Sampson (Houston), Tommy Lloyd (Arizona), TJ Otzelberger (Iowa State) and Grant McCasland (Texas Tech) to finish top five in the league. That’s a murderer’s row.
Then there’s the location factor. Manhattan, Kan., isn’t seen as the most desirable place from a quality of life standpoint, and that may be a dealbreaker for some coaches. There are more than enough quality candidates with ties to the Midwest, or Kansas specifically, that it won’t prevent the Wildcats from landing an awesome coach, though.
Lastly, could the way Kansas State fired Tang — for cause, after his viral news conference, in an attempt to avoid paying his full buyout — scare off any potential candidates? Quite possibly. It’s not uncommon for schools and fired coaches to negotiate buyouts, but it’s unprecedented for a school to try to fire “for cause” because of negative postgame comments.
Overall, being in the Big 12 — and having money to spend when you walk in the door — makes Kansas State somewhere a new coach can conceivably win right away.
Call list (in alphabetical order)
Casey Alexander, head coach, Belmont
Kansas State went the assistant route when it hired Tang from Baylor. It seems likely the school picks someone with more head-coaching experience this time. Alexander, 53, qualifies, now in his 15th season as a head coach between Stetson, Lipscomb and Belmont. Alexander has led the Bruins to at least 20 wins in each of his seven seasons in Nashville. His current team looks like his best yet, ahead by multiple games in the Missouri Valley. Alexander is from Tennessee and played at Belmont, so it would take something substantial to lure him away … but Big 12 offers don’t come around often.
Matt Braeuer, head coach, Stephen F. Austin
A three-year starter for Wichita State, Braeuer has Kansas ties and is the latest branch of McCasland’s fast-growing coaching tree. Braeuer, who turns 40 in April, is only in his first year as a head coach, but has led the Lumberjacks to a surprise 23-3 record, putting SFA firmly in position to upset McNeese in the Southland. Plus, having spent two seasons on McCasland’s bench in Lubbock, he knows the Big 12. This may be too great a leap too soon, but he’s one to keep an eye on.
Jerrod Calhoun is 48-11 in two seasons at Utah State, and could be poised for a move up. (Isaiah J. Downing / Imagn Images)
Jerrod Calhoun, head coach, Utah State
Cincinnati fans won’t be happy to see Calhoun’s name mentioned, but the 44-year-old is one of the hottest mid-major candidates this cycle for a reason, and will be linked to almost every high-major opening that arises. Calhoun made the NCAA Tournament last season in his first year at Utah State, and has followed that up with another standout campaign. The Aggies are currently tied for first in the Mountain West. Considering Calhoun is an Ohio native and Cincy graduate, the Bearcats are certainly the favorite to bring him home if they move on from Wes Miller — but that won’t stop Kansas State and other high-majors from calling.
Steve Forbes, head coach, Wake Forest
Even if Wake Forest decides not to fire Forbes, he might be looking for a soft landing spot after this season. Kansas State would provide it — and, perhaps more importantly, the resources that haven’t been at his disposal through six seasons in Winston-Salem, N.C. Although he doesn’t have Big 12 experience, Forbes, who turns 61 in March, is an Iowa native who has coached all over the country, including as an assistant at Wichita State from 2013 to 2015. One major area of struggle for Tang the past few years has been evaluating the portal, and Forbes is one of the best at finding under-the-radar portal gems. The question is, would Kansas State hire a coach who has failed to make the NCAA Tournament at his current high-major job?
Chester Frazier, associate head coach, Virginia Tech
Frazier is our lone candidate who doesn’t have head-coaching experience — but if Kansas State is looking for someone highly regarded with an intimate knowledge of the program, he may fit the bill. Frazier, who turns 40 in April, spent seven seasons in Manhattan as an assistant under Bruce Weber, helping lead the Wildcats to five NCAA Tournament berths and the 2018 Elite Eight. In addition to two stints at Virginia Tech, Frazier has also worked at Illinois (his alma mater) and West Virginia. The Wildcats probably don’t want to go the assistant route again immediately after Tang — but if they do consider it, Frazier checks a lot of boxes.
John Groce, head coach, Akron
It’s only a matter of time until Groce gets another high-major opportunity, after going 95-75 in four seasons at Illinois from 2012 to 2017. The 54-year-old has led Akron to three NCAA Tournament appearances in the last four seasons, and has the Zips one game back of undefeated Miami of Ohio in the MAC. Groce doesn’t have Big 12 experience, but he has spent the bulk of his career in Ohio and Illinois, so he does have some regional ties. Add in his versatility as a coach — he pivoted from one of the slowest tempos in America to a run-and-gun, 3-point heavy offense — and it’s not hard to imagine Groce having success back at the high-major level.
Kevin Keatts, commentator, ESPN
Keatts has spent the year out of coaching after NC State fired him in March, barely a calendar year after he led the Wolfpack to the 2024 Final Four. Is this the right spot for him to get back in? Kansas State could do worse than to hire someone who has been to a national semifinal, something the program hasn’t done in the modern era. Keatts went 153-112 in eight seasons at NC State with three NCAA Tournament berths, but struggled to consistently hang with the ACC’s best. The 53-year-old also has no geographic or coaching ties to Kansas, having spent most of his career on the East Coast.
Chris Jans took Mississippi State to three consecutive NCAA Tournaments before a down year this season. (Bruce Newman / Special to the Clarion Ledger / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Chris Jans, head coach, Mississippi State
Jans is arguably the most consistently successful coach on this list. Jans, who turns 57 in April, made the NCAA Tournament each of his first three seasons in Starkville, winning at least 20 games each year, before this season’s slip back to the SEC cellar. Jans is in no danger of being fired, but has he reached his ceiling with the Bulldogs? Kansas State could do worse than to call and find out. The Wildcats offer more resources from a roster-building standpoint. Jans also had two stints at Wichita State, meaning he has experience working in and recruiting the region.
Josh Schertz, head coach, Saint Louis
Like Calhoun, Schertz is going to be atop the call list for just about every high-major job that opens. Dating back to his Indiana State days, the 50-year-old has been viewed as a rising star in the industry, which he has backed up by turning Saint Louis into a top-25 team this season. The Billikens are 24-1, undefeated in the Atlantic 10 and have one of the best offenses in the nation. Schertz will likely have options this offseason — but it doesn’t hurt Kansas State’s chances to try getting an early foot in the door.
Russell Turner, head coach, UC Irvine
Turner, in his 16th season leading the Anteaters, has been in the mix for high-major jobs over the years. He has taken UC-Irvine to two NCAA Tournaments — and would’ve been to a third in 2020 — and is one of the more consistent defensive coaches in the sport. That said, the 55-year-old doesn’t have any real Midwestern ties, and while he may not get many more high-major looks in his career, would he leave Irvine for Manhattan?
And the hire is …
Not to cop out, but it’s hard to say. Industry sources are expecting an, uh, interesting search, which could result in an out-of-nowhere hire.
But of the above candidates, Schertz or Calhoun would represent major wins for Kansas State. (It doesn’t hurt that the Wildcats can start backchanneling a little early, before other high-major gigs officially come open.) That said, both will be widely coveted and may opt to wait for all the options to become apparent. In that case, attempting to pry Jans away from Mississippi State should be Plan 1B, and empowering a proven winner with newfound resources.