With USF in the market again for head basketball coach -- this is the fourth straight year the Bulls have faced this issue -- Green, Gold and Bold would like to help.
Rob Higgins, the CEO of Athletics for the Bulls, promised a national search has begun to replace Bryan Hodgson, who left for Providence.
Does Higgins go for the "next big thing" like his predecessor, Michael Kelly, did with Hodgson? Maybe, but if so the Bulls need some guarantee that person truly believes USF is destination and not a stepping stone.
Hodgson and Amir Abdur-Rahim proved it is possible to win big at USF. That kind of success also attracts the eyesof so-called "major conference" programs.
With that in mind, here are five names who would look good in USF's colors, along with this caveat: Higgins and USF operate in stealth mode on these searches. Unlike other schools, the word doesn't leak about the new guy until it's a done deal (see Hartline, Brian).
The list is presented in alphabetical order.
John Groce, Akron
For all the attention on Miami (Ohio) this season, Akron was the MAC tournament champion. That was the fourth MAC championship in the last five years for the Zips.
Groce has been at Akron since 2017, and that was after head coaching jobs at Ohio and Illinois. His last five teams are 114-45, including 29-6 this year.
One possible hurdle: His contract runs until 2035. But it only has a $350,000 buyout. His salary with supplemental incentives is about $850,000.
Andy Kennedy, UAB
He has been at UAB since 2020 after 12 seasons at Ole Miss. As a head coach, he is 411-231 and the Blazers were one of only three American Conference teams to beat USF this season, taking a 109-106 double overtime win.
He could be getting a little weary of the scene in Birmingham.
After a galling one-point loss to Tulane where his team converted only 10-of-22 layups, he was not pleased.
“I mean, guys, we’re talking about layups," he said afterward. "These are college scholarship players that are making more money than most people in this room. Is it too much to ask for you to make a layup?”
He later said his team was "in Bozo land."
Remember, Hodgson wasn't shy about telling it like he saw it.
Ryan Pannone, Arkansas State
Well, it didn't work out too badly the last time USF hired the head coach from Arkansas State, who also came there from Alabama.
At Alabama, he was the offensive coordinator under head coach Nate Oats after Hodgson left. The Crimson Tide averaged 90 points per game under Pannone and made an NCAA Tournament-record 25 three pointers in its Sweet 16 victory over BYU.
He has 23 years of coaching experience, including multiple international stops.
Antoine Pettway, Kennesaw State
Speaking of moves that didn't work out too badly, remember the last time USF hired the head coach from Kennesaw State?
Pettway took over the Owls after Amir Abdur-Rahim left for USF. In three seasons, he is 55-44, including 21-14 and a Conference USA championship this season. They gave Gonzaga a battle before falling 73-64 in the first-round of the NCAA tournament.
Pettway also was an assistant at Alabama before coming to Kennesaw.
We were informed by Coach Hodgson that he will be leaving to become the new head men’s basketball coach at Providence. Congratulations and thank you to Coach Hodgson, Jordan and Jett! We had an incredible season, including our second regular season championship in the last three…
— Rob Higgins (@RHiggins_USF) March 22, 2026
Rick Stansbury, former Mississippi State head coach
Stansbury is 66, so his age might be a red flag. But his coaching and recruiting acumen would argue that age is only a number. This could be an out-of-the-box name to consider.
Stansbury is 432-255 in 21 seasons as Division I head coach at Mississippi State and Western Kentucky. Most recently he was Penny Hardaway's assistant and top recruiter.
"His history as a coach and the experience he brings to the table at this level is second to none," said Hardaway said when Stansbury was hired in 2023. "He will make a big impact on our student-athletes and within our program," Hardaway said then.
A year later, Stansbury was part of a staff purge that saw Hardaway fire four assistants shortly before the season began.
Look at this way: If hired, Stansbury wouldn't be using the USF job as a stepping stone. And he might have a burr in his saddle about Hardaway.