Is Kansas State basketball coach next in line for Arkansas job opening?
MANHATTAN — It didn't take long after Eric Musselman departed Arkansas for Southern California on Thursday that Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang's name surfaced as a candidate for the Razorbacks job.
Now he appears to be at the top of the list.
CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein reported Friday afternoon that Chris Beard, presumed to be the leading target, is staying put at Mississippi and that Tang is next in the Razorbacks' sights.
Basketball analyst Jeff Goodman also mentioned Beard and Tang as his top two picks for the Arkansas job.
It is not the first time Tang has been linked to high-profile openings by college basketball experts in his two years as K-State's head coach. Just this month he also was mentioned as a possible candidate at SMU and USC before those positions were filled.
Tang has a two-year record of 45-25 at K-State, including a 26-10 mark with an NCAA Tournament Elite 8 run his first season in 2023-24. The Wildcats slipped to 19-15 this past season, ending with a first-round loss to Iowa in the National Invitation Tournament.
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On Thursday night, Tang appeared on the Field of 68 After Dark show on YouTube from Phoenix, site of this weekend's Final Four, but did not shed any light on the situation.
"I'm really thankful that I'm not on Jeff Goodman's hot seat right now," he said with a smile. "You're either doing well and somebody's putting your name in for a job or you're not doing well, and Jeff Goodman has got you on the hot seat."
Tang expressed his excitement over signing Michigan transfer guard Dug McDaniel on Wednesday and also talked up K-State and its fan base.
"We're thankful," he said. "We have got an unbelievable staff and we're blessed to be in Manhattan and excited about what we have for the future."
Related: Kansas State basketball transfer portal tracker: Who's in and who's out for the Wildcats?
Tang signed a contract extension with K-State last Sept. 23 that runs through the 2029-30 season. It paid him $3 million this past season and maxes out at $3.6 million the final year. The current buyout, should he decide to leave, is $6 million and drops to $5 million after April 30.
Tang also has made clear in the past that he will not publicly address potential job openings. Last year, for example, his name came up after Beard was fired at Texas.
"I've never commented on what I was going to do in the future at any point in my life," he said at a Jan. 9, 2023, news conference. "If God wants me at K-State, this is what I'm going to be. If God wants to move me that is where I'm going to go. I'm going to follow his lead."
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang linked to Arkansas opening
