Texas Scores Sean Miller as New Head Coach After NCAA Tournament Exit

If you can’t beat ’em, hire ’em. That seems to be the mantra for the Texas Longhorns, who have reportedly snagged Sean Miller as their next head basketball coach. Miller, the former Xavier boss, orchestrated the Longhorns' swift exit from the NCAA Tournament during a First Four matchup, leaving Texas fans reeling and ultimately leading to Rodney Terry's dismissal.

Texas announced on Sunday that Terry was out, and reports from the Austin American-Statesman suggest Miller is stepping in to take charge. Miller, who previously led Arizona for 12 seasons before returning to Xavier, has a storied—and controversial—coaching career that clearly caught Texas' eye.

Terry, who had been serving as Texas’ head coach since Chris Beard’s suspension during the 2022-23 season, leaves behind a complicated legacy. Beard’s tenure ended with domestic violence accusations (later dropped), paving the way for Terry to take over. But the Longhorns’ Elite Eight run under Terry last season couldn’t save him from the chopping block after this year’s disappointing campaign.

Texas will be paying Terry a hefty $5.4 million buyout, thanks to the five-year contract he inked after that surprising tournament run. In a statement, Terry expressed gratitude for his 13 years with the program, saying, "I want to thank all of our coaches and current and former players who not only helped us win a lot of games, but more importantly represented this great university in a first-class manner."

Miller’s hiring is intriguing, to say the least. While his coaching chops are evident—seven NCAA Tournament appearances with Arizona and a strong showing with Xavier this season—his past is a bit messier than a clean-cut win-loss record might suggest. An FBI corruption investigation into college basketball resulted in vacated wins for Arizona and accusations that Miller facilitated illicit payments to recruit star center DeAndre Ayton. Fast forward to today’s NIL rules, and Miller’s once-prohibited actions would now be perfectly legal. Timing is everything, huh?

Under Miller, Xavier didn’t make it far in this year’s tournament. After eking out an 86-80 victory over Texas in the First Four, they were promptly bounced by Illinois in the next round. Still, Miller’s ability to rally his team to a 22-12 record this season after missing the tournament last year is likely what Texas is betting on.

It’s a bold move for the Longhorns, who have endured a rollercoaster of emotions this season. From barely scraping into the tournament as one of the last teams to make the bracket, to losing after leading at halftime against Xavier, to this coaching shake-up—it’s been a wild ride. Whether Miller can turn Texas’ fortunes around remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure: Longhorns brass are gambling big on his potential.