Only days after Bob Huggins announced that he has resigned as the head coach of the Mountaineers, West Virginia University is expected to name the new head coach soon.
MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — Director of athletics, Wren Baker, reportedly conducted interviews via Zoom yesterday with qualified candidates and a decision on who will become the next head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers will come “soon”, according to a source.
Baker spoke to Jerrod Calhoun, the current head coach at Youngstown, and Andy Kennedy, the head coach at UAB, via Zoom and both interviews went well. Both are considered head coaches that would be capable of keeping the current roster together and that’s a huge part of the decision-making process for Baker.
Calhoun would likely keep most – if not all – of the current coaching staff in place, which would mean that the Mountaineers would not lose many of the players on the roster. Kennedy is also reportedly open to maintaining some of the current staff members and is seen as someone that could keep the roster together. Kennedy is a long-time friend of Bob Huggins and Huggins would put his stamp of approval on the hiring. Although Huggins is not involved in the hiring process, the players on the team came to play for him and West Virginia hiring someone Huggins approves of would go a long way in keeping the roster together. Calhoun and Kennedy also seem to have the support of boosters and donors, who see them as Bob Huggins’ disciples who would pick up where he left off.
Wren Baker’s top choice, Ben McCollum, is an outstanding head coach and program-builder, but he has no experience with NIL and it is unlikely that he would be able to keep all of the current players on the roster together. Although he might be the best hire for the future, losing current players on the team is a huge concern if they were to hire him.
With that said, Baker is expected to make his decision “soon.” He understands the importance of making the right hire and in a quick fashion in order to get the new coach in place and attempt to move forward with the current players. Stay tuned to The Voice of Morgantown for immediate updates on this developing story!
SOURCE: Expect West Virginia to make a quick decision in hiring its next head coach to replace Bob Huggins. "Announcement could come very soon." #WVU
— The Voice of Morgantown (@voicemorgantown) June 20, 2023
