LOGAN, Utah, March 30, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Utah State wasted little time finding its new head men’s basketball coach, luring longtime Youngstown State coach Jerrod Calhoun to Logan.
Calhoun, 42, guided Youngstown State to unprecedented success over the past seven years, including the program’s first back-to-back 20-win campaigns the past two seasons.
“I look forward to making Aggie Nation proud of our program, both on and off the court, and competing for championships on an annual basis,” he said.
Calhoun replaces Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year Danny Sprinkle, who left the Aggies after one just season to become the head coach at Washington.
“Jerrod Calhoun embodies all the qualities we are looking for as the next leader of our men’s basketball program,” said USU Vice President and Director of Athletics Diana Sabau, who announced the hiring Saturday.
“He is energetic, enthusiastic, a player’s coach and is motivated to keep our current student-athletes in Logan. He is a formidable recruiter, an exceptional motivator, and has a keen understanding of the competitive nature of NIL and will be a great partner in growing the Blue A Collective.”
Calhoun compiled a 118-106 (.527) record as head coach at Youngstown State, including a 98-62 mark over the past five seasons. The Penguins went 22-10 in 2023-24, a year after winning a school record-tying 24 games to claim the Horizon League title and earn a spot in the National Invitation Tournament.
His success in 2022-23 was rewarded with the Horizon League Coach of the Year and National Association of Basketball Coaches District 12 Coach of the Year awards. In all, the Penguins made three postseason appearances under Calhoun.
“Utah State is getting an excellent head coach and person in Jerrod Calhoun, who embodies our university values and our mission of excellence,” USU President Elizabeth Cantwell said. “Hiring Jerrod shows our commitment to our student-athletes and the Aggie basketball program.”
Prior to his tenure at Youngstown State, Calhoun spent five seasons as head coach at Fairmont State (2013-17) in Fairmont, West Virginia, 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.
The Cleveland, Ohio, native was named Mountain East Conference Coach of the Year in 2017 — his final season at Fairmont State. His teams won at least 20 games in each of his final five seasons with the Fighting Falcons.
Calhoun was an assistant coach at Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio, from 2005-07, and worked under West Virginia under head coach Bob Huggins from 2008-12. He spent four years as WVU’s director of basketball operations before serving as an assistant coach in 2011-12.
Calhoun is a 2004 graduate of the University of Cincinnati and played two years of college basketball at Cleveland State.
He and his wife, Sarah, are the parents of one son, Jordan, and three daughters, Kennedy, Kendall and Quinn.
“Sarah, Jordan, Kendall, Kennedy, Quinn and I are eager to put down roots in Logan and get to work,” Calhoun said.
