Report: West Virginia 'leaning toward' hiring Josh Eilert as interim head coach to replace Bob Huggins

West Virginia finds itself in an unusual position, not having a head coach this late in the offseason. Bob Huggins resigned from the program following an offseason full of disaster. As the program looks to find its next leader, they may reportedly put the process on hold for a while.

According to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, West Virginia is “leaning toward” naming Josh Eilert as the interim head coach for the entire 2023-2024 season. He was been an assistant coach for the Mountaineers on Huggins’ staff and would get a chance over the next year.

“Sources: West Virginia is leaning towards naming assistant Josh Eilert as interim head coach for the 2023-24 season,” Rothstein said via Twitter. “Deal is not done, but could be done tonight.”

Stadium’s Jeff Goodman added to Rothstein’s report, saying the West Virginia players are being informed of Eilert’s appointment. Athletic director Wren Baker is breaking the news, hoping to keep some of the roster together — even if some have already entered the NCAA transfer portal.

“West Virginia athletic director Wren Baker is currently informing the players that assistant Josh Eilert will be the interim coach this season,” Goodman said.

Since the time of posting, West Virginia has officially announced Eilert as the interim head coach. It’s the beginning of a new era for the Mountaineers and the job will immediately pick up for Eilert.

Josh Eilert earns another promotion on West Virginia staff

If anyone was going to replace Eilert for an entire season, it needed to be someone who was familiar with the program. Eilert has been in Morgantown for the past 15 seasons, working alongside Huggins throughout the process.

He was originally the Assistant Athletics Director for Basketball Operations before moving into an assistant coaching role this time last year. Eilert just completed his first complete season on the sideline.

Prior to his time at West Virginia, Eilert spent time at Kansas State as a graduate assistant. That’s where he wrapped up in college basketball playing days — having no overlap with Huggins when he was the Wildcats’ head coach.

With the interim tag being thrown on, West Virginia has the opportunity to keep the ship sailing. Once the season wraps up next March/April, they will be able to find a full-time head coach. A smart move from Baker, who needed to make a quick move — especially how deep into the offseason calendar we are.