Rodney Terry will dispatch his interim title after being promoted to the status of head coach. After almost reaching the Final Four and losing only to Miami in the Elite Eight, Texas University decided to reward Terry with a lucrative contract and make him their full-time coach.
Terry acted as the interim coach since December, going on a 22-8 run in his new position. He was promoted from assistant coach after Texas suspended former coach Chris Beard due to a domestic violence arrest. Beard was found innocent, but Texas already decided to part ways with him. Allowing him to find a new job at the University of Mississippi.
The newly appointed coach will lead the program next season, with hopes of at least going one step better than this year.
How has Rodney Terry Earned the Monocle of Head Coach?
Terry (55) was brought on as an assistant to Beard’s staff after being the head coach at UTEP for three years and seven at Fresno State. However, current coach Chris Beard fell due to a felony charge of assaulting a family member. Forcing the program to give the reigns of the squad to Terry.
Rodney took to his new position like a fish to water, leading the Longhorns to a second-place finish in the Big 12 regular season. Only a game away from Kansas University. Terry and his team then went on to win their first three games in the NCAA tournament. Defeating Colgate, Penn State, and Xavier on their way – an impressive start to his Texas basketball career.
Texas finally fell in the Elite Eight game against Miami by 88:81. This was UT’s first NCAA Tournament Elige Eight appearance in 15 years. After the loss, Terry gave an emotional statement saying that he wants the focus to be on the players and not himself.
How will Terry’s Contract Compare to the Previous One?
When Terry came as a coach on Beard’s staff, he made $600,000. His promotion to interim coach in December doubled his previous contract and set him off to $1.2 million.
However, his newest contract, according to recent reports, will earn him $15.3 million in three years. Ultimately giving him around $3 million per season. Seeing what Terry has done for the program, the deal is more than suitable for Rodney at this moment.
For comparisons, Beard was making approximately $5.26 million in his final season. This figure made him the fifth highest-paid coach in the nation, according to coaches’ salaries in the 2021/22 season.
What Does the Future Hold for Terry and Texas University?
Of course, the Texas sports team aims to go beyond the current success of this season and go bigger for the next. Making strides towards a brighter future, Terry has already managed to re-recruit commits Ron Holland and AJ Johnson. They have originally done so under former coach Chris Beard.
Terry even went on his own to make an in-home visit to Holland. He also showed him support during his All-American game. He also paid a visit to the number one overall player of the 2024 class, Tre Johnson.
The smartest piece of business that Terry will need to do is to establish the Longhorns’ presence in Texas and gather recruits and transfers to replace the production of the seniors from this season that led him to such a high finish. Plugging those holes will increase his chances of competing in the nation’s best conference.
