Ryan Odom. Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Virginia basketball closing in on deal with VCU head coach

By Andrew Wright | Last updated Mar 21, 2025 5:52 PM ET

It appears that Virginia basketball is closing in on its long-term plan at head coach.

According to Pete Thamel, the Cavaliers and VCU head coach Ryan Odom are finalizing a deal that will make Odom the next coach of the Cavaliers.

NEWS: VCU coach Ryan Odom has emerged as the target for the Virginia job, and a deal is expected to come together in the upcoming days, sources tell me and @jeffborzello. He’s led VCU, Utah State and UMBC to the NCAA tournament in his career. pic.twitter.com/06yf7TW3pn
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) March 21, 2025

In his career, Odom has a coaching record of 201-117 across four different schools (Charlotte, UMBC, Utah State, VCU).

In the 2024-25 season, he led VCU to a 28-7 record, an A-10 regular-season championship and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Before his time at VCU, Odom led Utah State and UMBC into the tournament. Odom was the head coach of the historic UMBC team that became the first No. 16 seed to knock off a No. 1 seed in the tournament.

"I love seeing them smile. They're great kids, they're high-character kids. They deserve it." - UMBC HC, Ryan Odom after making history#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/Wev2mcFlQ6
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2018

He will now take over a Virginia team that had quite the down year in the 2024-25 season. Former head coach Tony Bennett stepped down just weeks before the season, leaving Virginia in a tough spot.

The Cavaliers went 15-17 (8-12 ACC) and missed the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2021-22 season. The 15-17 record was the first time Virginia was under .500 in a season since the 2009-10 season. It was just the second time in the last 11 seasons that Virginia was not a part of the tournament.

Odom will hope to get Virginia back to national relevance and back to a familiar place in the NCAA Tournament.

Andrew Wright

Andrew "Dew" Wright graduated from Charleston Southern University with a degree in Communication Studies. He is a lifelong Chicago Cubs and Washington Commanders fan.

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