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The coaching carousel is capable of providing a few head-turning developments every year, and here’s one that qualifies: Sean Miller is leaving Xavier to be the next coach at Texas, sources told CBS Sports.
The move quickly picked up speed on Sunday, shortly after the job officially opened when Rodney Terry was fired. Miller spent the last three seasons at Xavier, his second stint there, and went 65-40. Coincidentally enough, Xavier beat Texas in the First Four last Wednesday.
The Austin American-Statesman’s Cedric Golden first reported the news. Terry was officially fired Sunday after three seasons. He went 62-37.
Miller’s also previously coached at Xavier from 2004-2009, when the school was in the Atlantic 10. In total, he won 185 games at Xavier across eight seasons and took the Musketeers to the NCAAs six times. Miller was hired in 2022 by Xavier, when he picked the Musketeers over South Carolina. Sources said that Texas’ infrastructure, with the potential to regularly compete for Final Fours, appealed to Miller’s aspirations of one day trying to win a national title. Miller has gone to the Elite Eight three times but never made the Final Four.
Texas is regarded as an elite job, and its massive donor base and potential to move into the top tier of NIL funding (with expected revenue-sharing for college athletes beginning in a few months) could position the Longhorns as a power within the SEC and nationally. Sources said athletic director Chris Del Conte coveted Miller not just recently, but dating back to Terry’s promotion from interim coach to full-time in 2023. Miller was seriously involved for the job two years ago, but Texas’ run to the Elite Eight firmed up Terry’s short-term prospects to win the job — which was aided, coincidentally enough, by Texas beating Xavier in the 2023 Sweet 16.
🏀 Sean Miller Bio Blast
Snapshot of Sean Miller’s CareerOverall Record487–196 in 20 seasons as D-I head coachNCAA Tournament22–13 overallRecord at Xavier185–87 in 8 seasons (2004–09, 2022–Pres)Recent Xavier Run65–40 over last 3 seasonsXavier NCAAT6 appearances (2006–09, 2023, 2025) — 9–6Best Xavier Finishes2008 Elite Eight, 2009 & 2023 Sweet 16Arizona Tenure2009–21Record at Arizona302–109 over 12 seasonsArizona NCAAT7 appearances (2011, 2013–18) — 13–7Best Arizona Finishes6 Sweet 16s, 3 Elite Eights
Texas opened a state-of-the-art arena in 2022, the Moody Center, and there’s a deep desire to make the program immediately impactful and relevant. Miller coached and/or recruited 16 NBA Draft picks while at Arizona. That track record may suit him well in Austin.
The 56-year-old Miller is leaving Cincinnati and heading back into the world of coaching a big program at a school with football. Miller was at Arizona from 2009-2021; he was fired after going 302-109 in 12 seasons due to lingering fallout from the FBI corruption scandal and Miller’s alleged connection to it. Miller was never credibly shown to have had any direct involvement. Arizona self-imposed a postseason ban in Miller’s final season, as the school was hit with five Level I violations by the NCAA, after the conclusion of the federal investigation and subsequent court case.
With Xavier now open, one obvious name to keep an eye on is another former Xavier coach: Charleston‘s Chris Mack. Mack ran Xavier’s program from 2009-18, but beyond that, was also an assistant from 1999-01 and ’01-04. He’s the winningest coach in program history (215 victories) and responsible for the only No. 1 seed Xavier has ever received (2018). He left for Louisville in 2018, but took that job under stressed and uncertain circumstances. The Cardinals were subject to NCAA litigation and penalties for years — for the same federal investigation that roped in Miller’s Arizona program — but those transgression happened under former coach Rick Pitino. Mack stepped down, mid-season, in 2021 and was hired by Charleston in 2024. Mack has privately expressed enthusiasm and interest at the prospect of returning to Xavier, according to sources.
