Coming off a Sweet Sixteen berth and a pair of Elite Eight appearances before that, the the Arkansas Razorbacks were poised for another strong season in head coach Eric Musselman's fifth year. Instead, a transfer-heavy team never quite jelled, and the Razorbacks finished with a losing record for the first time since 2009-10.
A challenging rebuild lay ahead for Musselman, as most of the roster was either transferring or graduating. But Musselman saw another opportunity on the horizon and took the head coaching job at USC. Musselman's March Madness success and ability to bring in and coalesce talented transfers made him a fan favorite in Fayetteville, though there were rumors of discontent within the team this year.
Arkansas now faces a total rebuild and the increased challenge of having Texas and Oklahoma in the expanded SEC. Making a good hire is paramount, and these are the top three head coaching candidates Arkansas should consider.
Amir Abdur-Rahim (South Florida)
In 2019, Amir Abdur-Rahim coached a Kennesaw State team that went 1-26. Four years later, he transformed the Owls into a 26-win squad — leading the program to its first NCAA Tournament appearance as a DI squad. He has engineered a similar type of improvement at South Florida. The Bulls are 25-8 on the year and 16-2 in the AAC, winning the regular season conference title. Abdur-Rahim led USF to an 11-win jump this year and helped the program earn a spot in the AP Top 25 poll for the first time.
Amir Abdur-Rahim has significant experience in the SEC, holding assistant coaching jobs at Texas A&M and Georgia before earning his first head coaching gig at KSU. Plus, having spent nearly all of his playing and coaching career in the Southeast, he thoroughly understands hoops in the region — making him a strong fit at Arkansas.
Chris Beard (Ole Miss)
Less than a decade ago, Chris Beard led Little Rock to a 30-win season and a First Round upset over Purdue in the NCAA Tournament. He parlayed that success into the head coaching job at Texas Tech. In Lubbock, Beard took the Red Raiders to the NCAA Championship game, narrowly falling in overtime to Virginia.
From there, things got rocky for Chris Beard. He jumped ship to Texas, where he lasted less than two seasons due to a domestic violence arrest. Beard's wife declined to press charges, but questions about Beard's image persist. A 20-win season at Ole Miss in 2023-24 helped alleviate some of those concerns, though he is still a risky but talented hire.
*Beard announced on 4/5 that he is staying at Ole Miss*
Will Wade (McNeese)
Controversy has followed Will Wade at every coaching stop but so has winning. Wade has won 20 games in a season with three different programs and has done so again in his first year at McNeese St. He took VCU to the NCAA Tournament in both of his seasons in Richmond and led LSU to the tourney three times in four years. His coaching job at McNeese might be his best yet.
The Cowboys finished the season at 30-4 — their first winning season in 13 years. They also made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 23 seasons. McNeese notched road wins over VCU and Michigan and its aggressive defense finished sixth in the nation in turnover rate and 34th in block rate. This exciting basketball has a team that won just 11 games a year ago, a stunning turnaround for a dormant program. Will Wade proved his coaching worth at McNeese, the question now becomes: will Arkansas take a chance on him?
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