Syracuse basketball is making its move — and it’s a bold one.
Sources close to the program reported Friday that the Orange are finalizing an agreement to hire South Florida head coach Bryan Hodgson as their next men’s basketball coach. Reporter Bryan Aguada broke the news, with veteran college hoops insider Dick Weiss adding that Hodgson has his choice between Syracuse and Providence, with the Orange “working hard to get this one done.”
Sources: Syracuse University is working to finalize an agreement to hire South Florida’s Bryan Hodgson as its next head coach.
A deal is believed to be nearing completion as the Orange move quickly to finalize their next leader.
More details expected soon.
— Bryan Aguada (@Bryan_Aguada) March 13, 2026
What makes the decision striking isn’t just who Syracuse is hiring. It’s who they’re passing on.
Jim Boeheim called it “coaching malpractice” to overlook Gerry McNamara, a fan favorite and beloved national champion who had his No. 3 jersey retired, As a coach, McNamara just engineered one of the more impressive turnarounds in recent memory at Siena.
ESPN’s Seth Davis added that McNamara’s success there would make the hire an easy sell in Syracuse. Reporter Jason Dumas said the job was “likely” his if he wanted it.
Syracuse, apparently, isn’t waiting to find out.
Instead, the Orange are pivoting to Hodgson. An upstate New York native, Hodgson is one of the hottest mid-major coaches in the country who is ready for his first Power Four head coaching job.
It’s a swing that signals the program wants proven production over romantic nostalgia, even if the fan base isn’t fully ready to hear it.
Who Is Bryan Hodgson?
Hodgson won back-to-back regular-season conference titles, splitting the Sun Belt crown at Arkansas State and then taking the American Athletic Conference title in his first year at South Florida. His 2025-26 Bulls finished 23-8, ranking among the top 10 nationally in scoring.
He was built for this challenge. A product of the Nate Oats coaching tree, Hodgson was a key recruiter at both Buffalo and Alabama. He helped land the players that made the Crimson Tide a national contender, including future lottery picks Brandon Miller and Noah Clowney. He grew up in Olean, New York, and once ran camps at Syracuse as a young coach. He knows where he’s going and the expectations that come with the job.
His toughness has also made an impression. When rumors of tampering circulated mid-season, Hodgson was direct: “Any of these clowns that think they’re gonna reach out before the season ends… I will find you. It may work with other people. It doesn’t work with me.”
That’s the kind of energy a program that has missed five straight NCAA Tournaments desperately needs.
The McNamara Question
None of this means choosing Hodgson over McNamara is obviously correct.
While both were leading candidates for the job, Syracuse could be overlooking one of its most famous alumni for the job. The program passed on McNamara the first time around due to his lack of coaching experience and hired Autry, a move that ultimately failed.
GMac just led Siena to a 23-11 record and the program’s first NCAA Tournament bid since 2010, and his leverage in this situation is extraordinary. Power Four programs like Georgia Tech and Boston College were already calling before the week was out. If Syracuse lets him walk, they may be watching him beat them in the same conference for the next decade.
But there’s a reasonable counterargument. Some within the Syracuse orbit believe it may simply be too soon for McNamara and the program’s history of promoting insiders without proven head coaching experience is exactly how they ended up firing Adrian Autry after three losing seasons.
Hodgson offers a different profile: a coach who has won immediately at two stops, recruited at the highest level, and shown he can build something from scratch.
The Bottom Line
Syracuse is about to choose the future over its own past.
Now the pressure is on Hodgson to prove the gamble was worth it.
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