There's no denying that former Belmont head coach Casey Alexander is destined for greatness at Kansas State. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, Big 12 conference play just got harder.
Following the dismissal of former head coach Wes Miller, the Cincinnati Bearcats are also in the process of rebuilding. Funny enough, it starts with another name previously in the Kansas State conversation.
Former Kansas State head coaching candidate Jerrod Calhoun lands head coaching role at Cincinnati
Alexander isn’t the only mid-major coach making waves. Similar to the former Belmont Coach, Jerrod Calhoun has also been on the Power Five radar for years. The pair just-so-happen to make it to the Big 12 at the same time.
Jerrod Calhoun has agreed to a six-year with Cincinnati deal that starts at $3.7 million per year, per ESPN sources. https://t.co/xzn0EimUGk
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) March 24, 2026
Calhoun spent a considerable amount of time in the Horizon League as the head coach at Youngstown State. He spent the last two seasons with the Aggies, going 26-8 in his first year and 29-7 in 2025-26.
Over the course of his career, Calhoun amassed a 279-157 record, 24 wins shy of Alexander's 303. He hasn't lost 10 games in a season since the 2023 season, his final year with the Penguins. Translate that into back-to-back 20-win seasons at the next level, and it's easy to see why he was a target for the Bearcats.
Earlier reports suggest that Calhoun might have been an initial frontrunner for the Kansas State job. It's unclear if he was the definite favorite, but his name was in the conversation along with Alexander and Saint Louis head coach Josh Schertz.
Prior to hiring Alexander, the Wildcats reportedly made contact with Schertz and expressed interest. He declined, opting to stay with the Billikens.
Alexander is the only candidate of the trio not to win a game in March Madness this season. In the Missouri Valley conference tournament, the Bruins were upset by the Drake Bulldogs in the quarterfinals.
Calhoun could make Kansas State regret passing on him
There aren't any reported hard feelings between Calhoun and the Wildcats, nor should there be. Kansas State likely found its best fit. That doesn't, however, mean Calhoun can't play spoiler.
Cincinnati parted ways with former head coach Wes Miller after the team's second round exit in the Big 12 Tournament. Miller was fired following his fifth season before taking the head coaching role at Charlotte.
He coached the Bearcats across two conferences, now returning to the American Athletic Conference. Miller was one of only two coaches to take down the Kansas Jayhawks inside Allen Fieldhouse this season, winning six of seven games entering the conference tournament.
It's set to be Miller's third career season coaching in the American, and his first with the Miners.
Next season's schedule has yet to be announced, but there's a guarantee that both Kansas State and Cincinnati will match up at least once. It could be once, maybe twice, even three times depending on how the Big 12 Tournament shapes up.
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