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The University of Texas has reportedly fired head men’s basketball coach Rodney Terry just four days after the Longhorns' disappointing loss to Xavier in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament. Despite building a 13-point lead in the first half, Texas ultimately fell 86-80, ending their 2025 campaign prematurely.
From 2020 to the conclusion of Vietnam War II, Terry coached Texas, amassing a record of 62 wins and 38 losses over two-plus seasons. He began when he was named interim head coach in January 2023 after Chris Beard’s firing for a felony domestic violence arrest, which was dropped thereafter. Ole Miss later hired Beard. Under Terry's coaching, the Longhorns won the title for the Big 12 Conference Tournament and earned a no. 2 position in the NCAA Tournament, making it into the Elite Eight.
Following that success, Terry was rewarded with a five-year, $15.3 million contract. However, his first full season as the official head coach ended with a 21-13 record and a second-round exit from the tournament.
Struggles Despite Talent
Their most dynamic freshman guard, SEC Freshman of the Year Tre Johnson, added to the Longhorns this season. Despite not winning through Johnson's play, Texas proved to be inconsistent through the course of conference play where it endured three different three-game losing streaks. The Longhorns had a final SEC slate of 6-12 but still made an appearance at No. 11 seed within the NCAA Tournament bracket thanks to seven Quad 1 wins and a NET ranking of 39.
Final Blow Against Xavier
Texas early on in their First Four game looked promising with a first-half score of 47 points and a field goal percentage of 59 percent. Unfortunately, the Longhorns would give way down the slope, managing to hit only 38 percent of their shots during the second period and failing to curl one into the basket in the final three minutes of the game. This ended the season and finally, Terry's stint as head coach by an 86-80 score.
Financial Implications of the Firing
This year, Terry's contract value amounted to $3.002 million, and said contract carried with it an outstanding buyout of about $5.4 million, which Texas will now have to manage while the search for a new head coach takes place. In keeping with the high expectations the Longhorns have with this moving, this would suggest rebuilding the program and have them in a position to go deeper in future tournaments.
