Ryan Odom resigns from USU to become head coach at VCU

Utah State head coach Ryan Odom questions a call during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against San Diego State on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, …

Utah State head coach Ryan Odom questions a call during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against San Diego State on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, in Logan, Utah. (AP Photo/Eli Lucero)

by: Dana Greene

Posted: Mar 29, 2023 / 07:57 PM MDT

Updated: Mar 30, 2023 / 02:38 PM MDT

LOGAN, Utah (ABC4 Sports) – It is official now. Utah State is looking for its third head basketball coach in the last four years.

Ryan Odom resigned Wednesday night to become the new head coach at VCU, replacing Mike Rhodes, who left for Penn State.

Odom has spent the last two seasons at the helm of the Aggies, compiling a record of 44-25, including a 26-9 mark this season. Odom led Utah State back to the NCAA Tournament, where the Aggies lost to Missouri in the first round.

Assistant coach Nate Dixon will be the interim head coach while a search is conducted. Dixon will also be a candidate for the job.

“We thank Ryan, his family and staff for their contributions to Aggie Basketball,” said Utah State interim athletic director Jerry Bovee. “They did a great job maintaining the winning culture we are accustomed to. We have a deep and talented roster returning next year that are made up of high-character individuals and our priorities start and end with them.

“Utah State basketball has a proven track record of success over a long period of time with numerous coaches. This is a very desirable job that has already drawn national interest and we will work as quickly and efficiently as possible to assure our next head coach is equipped to build upon all our successes, which includes 23 NCAA Tournament appearances – 11 since the turn of the century.”

Odom has ties to the Virginia area, having served as an assistant coach at Virginia Tech and American University, as well as being the head coach at UMBC. While at UMBC, he coached the Retrievers in the first upset by a No. 16 seed over a No. 1 seed in men’s NCAA tournament history, toppling top-seeded Virginia in March 2018.

Odom took over for Craig Smith at Utah State in 2021, when Smith left to become the head coach at Utah.

Odom has a 170-106 record over the course of his 8-year head coaching career.

Odom played at Virginia-based Hampden-Sydney (a Division III program) in the early-to-mid 1990s, then worked as an assistant at American University and Virginia Tech from 2000-2010. The 48-year-old is 158-100 in his career.

A national search for USU’s next head coach has already begun.