In the midst of a three-game losing streak early on in SEC play and after a thumping from Florida at home, Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser is once again on the hot season during his fifth season leading the Sooners.
Fortunately for the struggling Sooners, very few fans witnessed their 96-79 beating from Florida on Tuesday night, and if that continues, even less of Sooner Nation will actually watch Moser's possibly last OU team. With that time not spent watching the Sooners, there are already coaches across college basketball worth keeping an eye on for OU fans if the season continues to go this way and the Sooners really do finally have to search for Moser's replacement.
Mark Byington, Vanderbilt
In just his second season at Vanderbilt, Mark Byington already has the Commodores atop the SEC and as national contenders. That's exactly where the Sooners want to be, and it turns out you can still have that even with a successful football team. Last season, Vandy made the NCAA Tournament, and right now, the Commodores are 10th in the country at a perfect 16-0.
Poaching Byington from a fellow SEC foe would mean the Sooners are serious about turning around the men's basketball program and ready to swing big. The problem is, with Vanderbilt being a private university, it's unknown how much it would actually cost to pry Byington away. Regardless, even with basketball lower on the pecking order, the Sooners still have more resources to offer Byington than Vandy.
Jerrod Calhoun, Utah State
Jerrod Calhoun was already a hot coaching candidate last year after getting Utah State to the NCAA Tournament at 26-8 in his first season there after seven successful years at Youngstown State. So far this season, Utah State is 14-1 and has cracked the top 25 at No. 23 despite coming from the Mountain West.
Luke Murray, UConn
Snatching a successful mid-major head coach didn't go well last time, so the Sooners might look for a seasoned assistant from a dominant major program to replace Moser. It doesn't get much more dominant than UConn in college basketball today.
Dan Hurley has two longtime assistants at UConn, but Luke Murray, son of actor Bill Murray, is the best fit for OU because of his experience developing post players, which the Sooners have struggled with under Moser and desperately need in the SEC. Murray has coached under Hurley at three different places, including at UConn for five seasons. This would be like a college football team hiring a longtime Nick Saban assistant (see Indiana, Georgia, etc).
Kellen Sampson, Houston
When possible coaching candidates are brought up, former OU coach Kelvin Sampson is almost always mentioned by fans because of the success the Sooners had during his era. However, Sampson isn't going to leave Houston, nor is he OU's answer. However, his son, Kellen, would come from the same mold, but 40 years old instead of 70.
Kellen is an OU alum after playing for his dad in 2004-07. After his playing days were over, he immediately starting coaching at the college level, including a stop at OU in 2008-10 under his father. Kellen has continued to assist his father at Houston since 2014, which includes two recent trips to the Final Four. Kellen is likely sticking around Houston to be his father's successor, but he could still jump now at his first head coaching gig if it was at his alma mater.
Josh Schertz, Saint Louis
Josh Schertz could be one of the top candidates in this year's coaching cycle, just like he was in 2024 after success at Indiana State. After a 19-15 debut season at Saint Louis, Schertz now has the Billikens at 16-1 and receiving votes in national rankings while destined for the NCAA Tournament.