After Reaching the Final Eight, Texas Elevates Coach Rodney Terry to Permanent
After leading the Longhorns to the Final Eight of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Texas has agreed to appoint interim coach Rodney Terry to a full-time position.
According to reports, the program revealed the change Monday night after Terry agreed to a five-year, $15.3 million contract.
When Miami defeated the Longhorns in the Midwest Regional final on Sunday, Terry had led the club to a Big 12 Tournament championship and had Texas on the verge of reaching its second-ever Final Four.
Terry took over the team after former coach Chris Beard was sacked midseason. He will be formally unveiled on Tuesday at 11 a.m. during a news conference at the University of Texas.
Before working with Beard in 2021–2022, Terry, 55, coached Fresno State for seven seasons and UTEP for three. After Beard was appointed coach after his alleged felony assault arrest in December, Texas finished 22-7 during his temporary tenure.
Despite not eventually pressing charges against Beard, Texas dismissed him on January 5.
Terry’s promotion marks Chris Del Conte, the longhorns’ athletic director is going to someone with strong roots in the region who gained the respect of the current group of players through a trying season.
Terry, who hails from the suburbs of Houston, worked as Rick Barnes’ assistant at Texas from 2002 to 2011, which included the team’s lone appearance in the Final Four.
Before joining the SEC beginning in 2024–25 season, Texas has one more season in the Big 12.
It was the greatest since 2008, when the Longhorns received the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament this year, and their tournament run was also the longest since 2008.
