UMBC Coach Ryan Odom Agrees To Become New Utah State Head Coach

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) men's basketball program will be looking for a new coach this offseason. Reports on Monday surfaced that indicated head coach Ryan Odom has agreed to a deal to take over the program at Utah State.

Utah State's official men's basketball account then confirmed the news, announcing Odom's hire and welcoming him to the Aggies program.

The 46-year-old Odom leaves a lasting legacy at UMBC after he led the Retrievers to the first, and still only, upset of a one seed in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as a 16-seed when his team shocked Virginia in the 2018 tournament. Over five seasons at UMBC, the Retrievers went 97-60 under his guidance including their second America East Conference tournament title. This past season, he guided them to a 14-6 record and the top spot in the tournament but dropped a close 79-77 loss to UMass-Lowell in the tournament semifinals.

He now takes over a Utah State program that finished third in the Mountain West Conference this season and earned an NCAA Tournament berth as an 11-seed before falling in the first round to Texas Tech. Odom replaces Craig Smith who took over the Utah men's basketball program last week.