LOGAN, Utah, March 23, 2026 (Gephardt Daily) — Despite the lack of an official, on-the-record announcement, multiple news agencies are reporting that Utah State University head basketball coach Jerrod Calhoun is leaving to head the program at the University of Cincinnati.
Those reporting the deal include the Cincinnati Enquirer, CBS, local broadcasters, and unnamed “sources” talking to ESPN.
The U of Cincinnati, a Big 12 school, also happens to be Calhoun’s alma mater and where he began his coaching career as a student assistant in 2003.
Calhoun took the head coach job at USU in March of 2024, and is currently in his second season.
Calhoun at USU
During his first season at the helm at USU in 2024-25, Calhoun had one of the strongest debut seasons by a coach in Utah State history as he coached the Aggies to a 26-8 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance, his USU biography says. He became just the fourth USU coach to guide the program to the NCAA Tournament in his first season, and his 26 wins were the third-most by a first-year coach in program history.
Utah State boasted one of the most efficient offenses in the nation, ranking 11th in the NCAA in assist/turnover ratio (1.60), 14th in assists per game (17.1) and 20th in field goal percentage (.484), leading the Mountain West in each category. Defensively, the team set a program record with 291 steals, surpassing its previous high of 238 steals in 2023-24.
The Aggies posted a 15-2 home record and went 15-5 in league play, finishing third in the Mountain West despite returning just four letterwinners from the previous year’s roster. In non-conference play, USU defeated Iowa in a neutral site matchup to earn its first win over a Big Ten opponent since 2013. The team then went on to win the NIT Season Tip-Off in Orlando and earn a win at Saint Mary’s, before opening conference play with back-to-back road victories over then-No. 20 San Diego State and Nevada. The team’s win over SDSU was its first road victory over an AP Top 25 team since 1991 and its first win in San Diego since 1999.
Individually, the guard duo of Ian Martinez and Mason Falslev each earned all-Mountain West honors, with Martinez named to the first team and Falslev to the second team. Martinez scored in double-figures in 33 of USU’s 34 games, ranking fifth in the league with 16.4 points per game. Falslev ranked in the top 10 in the conference in points (15.0), rebounds (6.3), assists (3.7) and steals (2.32) per game, earning four MW Player of the Week honors and twice named the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week.
Before USU
Prior to his time in Logan, Calhoun spent seven seasons (2018-24) as the head coach at Youngstown State, where he logged a 118-106 (.527) record.
Calhoun also served as the head coach at Fairmont State for five seasons (2013-17), leading the Fighting Falcons to a 124-38 (.765) record and four appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament, including a national runner-up finish in 2017. He led the Penguins to five-straight winning seasons for the first time in their Division I era (since 1981-82) after posting a 22-10 mark in 2023-24.
Calhoun coached 12 all-Horizon League selections in his seven seasons at Youngstown State, including eight in the last three years. He was also the first coach in Youngstown State’s Division I history to take the program to multiple postseasons as it participated in the 2023 National Invitation Tournament and the 2022 Basketball Classic, along with qualifying for the 2020 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, which was canceled due to COVID-19.
Along with posting a 22-10 record during the 2023-24 campaign, Calhoun also guided the Penguins to a 14-6 Horizon League record and a second-place finish. Youngstown State averaged 81.2 points per game and allowed just 70.9, both of which ranked second in the conference. The Penguins also made 282 3-pointers to rank as the second-most in school history.
Calhoun was a successful assistant coach at Walsh (2005-07) and at West Virginia (2008-12) under Bob Huggins. He spent four years at WVU as the director of basketball operations before serving as an assistant coach in 2011-12.
Calhoun earned his bachelor’s degree from Cincinnati, majoring in criminal justice and minoring in communications.
If Calhoun does leave USU, he will leave the university searching for its fifth head coach in seven years.
