ESPN releases list of candidates to replace Bob Huggins at West Virginia

With West Virginia coach Bob Huggins resigning on Saturday after being arrested for DUI, the Mountaineers are officially on the hunt for a coach to take over in 2023-24. ESPN’s Jeff Borzello wasted no time speculating who his replacement could be, releasing a long list of candidates whom athletic direct Wren Baker may consider for the opening.

Firstly, Borzello looked to a couple of names who have previously worked under Huggins: UAB coach Andy Kennedy and Youngstown State coach Jerrod Calhoun. Kennedy was previously an assistant on Huggins’ staff at Cincinnati from 2001-05 before leaving to become the head coach at Ole Miss in 2006. He resigned in the middle of the 2017-18 season, leaving as the school’s all-time wins leader with a 245-156 record.

Kennedy took over at UAB in the 2020-21 season and led them to a Conference USA Championship by his second year. The Blazers have won 20-plus games in each of his three seasons thus far.

Calhoun was a student assistant under Huggins at Cincinnati during the 2003-04 season. He later joined the staff at West Virginia in 2007 and remained until 2012. He took over as the coach at Youngstown State in the 2017-18 season and led them to a regular season Horizon League title and 24-10 record this past season.

But if West Virginia understandably wants to distance itself from Huggins, Borzello named Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes and Mississippi State coach Chris Jans as a couple Power 5 candidates with an outside shot. Former Xaiver coach Chris Mack and former Michigan coach John Beilein, who coached WVU from 2002-07 before Huggins took over, were also mentioned.

After that, Borzello named off a multitude of other candidates from smaller programs. They are as follows: Charleston coach Pat Kelsey, Ohio coach Jeff Bohls, Kent State coach Rob Senderoff, Akron coach John Groce, Toledo coach Tod Kowalczyk, Furman coach Bob Richey, Liberty coach Ritchie McKay, UNC-Asheville coach Mike Morrell, UNC-Wilmington coach Takayo Siddle, South Carolina State coach Erik Martin and Northwestern Missouri State coach Ben McCollum.

The Mountaineers will need to move quickly once they find their target, as college basketball season is fast-approaching in November.

More on Bob Huggins’ resignation, career at West Virginia

It will certainly be strange to not see Huggins on the WVU sidelines this upcoming season, where he has been for the past 16 years. A former Mountaineers point guard, he leaves as the second-winningest coach in program history with a record of 345-203.

Huggins led West Virginia to 11 NCAA Tournament appearances and one Final Four in those 16 seasons. However, due to his recent behavior, it became clear it was time for his tenure to come to and end.

In addition to the DUI, Huggins was also under scrutiny for using a homophobic slur during a radio appearance last month. The Mountaineers suspended the coach and reduced his salary by $1 million as a result of that incident. With Huggins already in hot water, there was no escaping this outcome after his recent arrest.

This likely ends the coaching career of Huggins, who also had a Final Four appearance in his time with Cincinnati. West Virginia will hope to find a suitable candidate to replace him and continue the run of success it has enjoyed the past several years.