Before the Longhorns ever stepped foot onto the court at the NCAA Tournament, people were calling for Rodney Terry's job. After Texas blew a 13-point lead in the First Four against the Xavier Musketeers, people were screa]ming for Terry to be axed.
However, getting rid of a head coach that you only hired a few seasons ago isn't as simple as letting him go and finding his replacement, which will already be difficult enough.
Terry officially became the Horns' head coach on March 27, 2023, when he signed a five-year contract with Texas. So, if you're doing the math, he still has over three years remaining on his original deal with the Longhorns.
Texas head coach Rodney Terry's buyout
Currently, Terry's buyout is $5.4 million, after being paid nearly $3.002 million this year (ranked 13th amongst SEC coaches and 45th amongst DI coaches).
So, if Texas were to fire Terry after the Longhorns' abysmal 2024-25 season, the University of Texas athletic department would have to fork over nearly $5,500,000 to its newly-former head coach.
Possible replacements for Rodney Terry
As of now, the coaching carousel is in full swing among collegiate basketball programs. From Indiana poaching WVU's coach to NC State stealing McNeese's head coach while the Cowboys are still in the NCAA Tournament, the college basketball scene is filled with vacancies.
However, there aren't a lot of great candidates to fill Terry's role if he and the Horns were to part ways. Texas could attempt to poach a successful head coach from another school, or even try to steal one from an NBA organization, but the prospects aren't all that desirable.
As of Thursday, March 20, there was no definitive news from AD Chris Del Conte about whether the Longhorns would stick with Terry or move in another direction.