USF's hiring of Bryan Hodgson as its basketball coach draws praise and transfers

The positive reviews continue to come in about Bryan Hodgson, USF’s new men’s basketball coach.

University of Alabama coach Nate Oats took a break from preparations for the Tide’s Sweet 16 matchup against BYU to lavish praise on Hodgson, who was on his staff for several years before taking the head job at Arkansas State.

“USF got a great one! A rising star in the business & one of the best recruiters in the country! In just 2 years, Bryan turned Arkansas State into one of the best mid-major programs in the country,” Oats tweeted.

“Tampa, get ready for a high-octane winning brand of basketball under (Hodgson).”

ESPN analyst Jay Bilas was highly complimentary.

Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68 Network noted, “Hodgson … has done a terrific job since taking over at Arkansas State.”

Paul Biancardi, a former coach and current broadcaster for ESPN, tweeted, “I called three of Bryan Hodgson's games, watched film, and attended practices and shootarounds. The success at Arkansas State was unprecedented. What he accomplished there shows that he is the complete package.”

Even though his formal introduction at USF won’t come until a Friday news conference, Hodgson has hit the ground running.

Joseph Pinion, a 6-6 shooting guard who played for Hodgson at Arkansas State, announced on X that he is transferring to the Bulls.

He is the second Red Wolves player headed to Tampa since Hodgson’s hiring was announced on Monday. Izaiyah Nelson, a 6-10 forward, also will join the Bulls. He averaged a career-high 10.6 points per game and 8.9 rebounds per game this season.

Pinion gives the Bulls a long-range scoring threat they often lacked this season. Pinion, who played two seasons at Arkansas before transferring to Arkansas State, had 142 three-pointers this season for the Red Wolves, hitting 38 percent from that distance.

Three USF players – Kobe Knox, Jayden Reid, and C.J. Brown – announced they were entering the transfer portal, but that was before the hiring of Hodgson. It will be interesting to see if they follow through and leave or decide to exit the portal and return.

USF forward De`Ante Green, who missed the rest of the season after suffering a foot injury against Rice on January 28, made his intentions clear about returning.

He tweeted to Hodgson, “I’m with you chief!!”

There’s also this to consider. Hodgson had a highly-ranked incoming recruiting class at Arkansas State.

Red Wolf Report said the class includes forward Onyx Nnani and guards Adriel Nyorha and Chris Davis Jr. Nnani is a four-star forward and was the No. 5-rated prospect in Pennsylvania.

His suitors included Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Penn State, and Washington.