Texas announced over the weekend that it has decided to part ways with men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes. If early reports are any indication, Barnes will be trading in his burnt orange for a different shade of the same color.
Citing multiple sources, 247Sports reports that Barnes is expected to become the next head coach at Tennessee. The Vols have fired former coach Donnie Tyndall after just one season in the wake of an investigation into NCAA infractions stemming from his time at Southern Miss.
“It’s gonna happen sooner than later,” a source told 247Sports when discussing Barnes signing with Tennessee. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there is an agreement in principle by the end of tonight.”
In his farewell press conference in Austin on Sunday, Barnes said he was confident he will be back to coaching very soon. ESPN’s Jeff Goodman reports that Tennessee had already reached out to the 60-year-old and held discussions with him over the weekend before Barnes was even officially out at Texas.
Barnes finished his Tennessee career with 402 wins, which makes him the winningest basketball coach in Longhorns history. He led Texas to the NCAA Tournament in 16 of his 17 seasons with the team, but the Longhorns had not reached the Sweet 16 since 2008.
Prior to Barnes being fired, it was rumored that Texas officials told him they would give him one more season if he agreed to make some serious changes on his staff. Now that we know the Tennessee job was waiting for him, it makes sense that Barnes was unwilling to shake things up.
