Arkansas basketball coach Eric Musselman will interview for the head-coaching job at Southern California on Wednesday, according to a report from On3.
Musselman, a native of the state, finished his fifth season with the Razorbacks, who did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three years. In the previous three seasons, Arkansas made three Sweet Sixteens, including two Elite Eights in 2021 and 2022.
Andy Enfield, who coached USC since 2013-14, took the job at Southern Methodist earlier in the week. The Trojans finished the season with a record of 15-18 and 8-12 in the Pac-12.
USC’s season was not dissimilar to Arkansas’ in terms of disappointment. The Razorbacks were picked to finish third in the SEC, but their 16-17 overall record and 6-12 mark in the SEC resulted in the team’s worst overall year since 2009-10.
Musselman had been a priority target for several teams in recent years, but had declined to take interviews. The 2023-24 Arkansas season filled with fan backlash, ridiculous internal-strife rumor and a coach who was often left speechless about his team’s poor play in school-record losses.
Arkansas fans felt positive about Musselman’s chances to return late last week when athletic director Hunter Yurachek implied the coach had agreed to stick around. He clarified on Monday that the video he tweeted was not meant to imply such.