Marquette and Shaka Smart have reached an agreement in principle for the current Texas coach to take the job from the Golden Eagles, a source told CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish. Smart is a Wisconsin resident who has received more attention in Texas for his lack of post-season success.
Smart is 109-86 overall in Texas with a 52-56 in the Big 12 and no NCAA Tournament wins. The No. 3 seed Longhorns were angry in the first round of this year’s NCAA Tournament by No. 14 seed Abilene Christian.
At Marquette, Smart would replace Steve Wojciechowski, who was fired this month after seven seasons. Wojciechowski also got no further than the first round of the NCAA tournament in two appearances with the Golden Eagles in 2017 and 2019. Marquette finished 13-14 this season (8-11 Big East).
The move would see two of the most prominent programs in the Big 12 looking for new coaches after rival Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger announced his retirement Thursday.
While the change may seem like a sideways move to Smart to some, it would free him from near constant control and allow him to return to his home state. Smart is from Madison, Wisconsin.
Smart was hired in 2015 to replace longtime Texas coach Rick Barnes, and was considered a rising star at the time for his success during a six-year stint at VCU.
Although the Longhorns won the 2021 Big 12 Tournament, they generally struggled in the postseason under Smart. With five-star freshman forward Greg Brown and an experienced group of guards on the roster, the 2020-21 season was set to be a breakthrough year. But scoring a 52-run off-season in an upset loss to Abilene Christian meant another bitter end.