Kansas State men’s basketball head coach Jerome Tang is one of two finalists for the Arkansas job, sources close to the situation tell the Mercury. Other reports indicate there could be other candidates still in the mix.
Current Mississippi coach and former Texas coach Chris Beard is widely reported to be a finalist.
Former Arkansas coach Eric Musselman left the Razorbacks to take same job at USC after five seasons in Fayetteville.
The sources tell the Mercury that Tang has either met with officials from Arkansas or will be meeting with them while attending the Final Four in Phoenix, Arizona.
Asked about being mentioned as a candidate for other jobs during a YouTube show Thursday, he said he was just grateful to not be on “the hot seat” for “not doing well.”
Tang signed a new seven-year, $23.1 million extension in September, which set his buyout at $6 million if he were to leave before April 30 of this year.
The former 20-year Baylor assistant burst onto the scene in 2022, taking K-State all of the way to the Elite Eight in his debut season as head coach.
Things did not go as well this past year as the Wildcats struggled through an up-and-down campaign filled with controversy that ended in with a loss to Iowa in the opening round of the NIT.
Early this season, the Wildcats saw the dismissal of former star forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin following his arrest in Aggieville for brawling on Oct. 29. Tang differed in his approach to that matter from university president Richard Linton.
Tang just announced the first transfer portal addition of the offseason on Thursday. During the interview Thursday, he said: “We are thankful. We have got an unbelievable staff and we are blessed to be in Manhattan and excited about what we have for the future.”
This story will be updated.
