Bryan Hodgson is packing his bags for Rhode Island.
The South Florida men’s basketball coach is taking over as the next leader at Providence, the Friars announced Sunday.
Hodgson, 38, will command the Friars following a successful lone season in Tampa, leading the Bulls to an impressive 25-9 record, an American Conference championship, and their first trip to March Madness since 2012.
USF, occupying the 11th seed in the NCAA Tournament’s East Region, fell to sixth-seeded Louisville, 83-79, in the opening round on Thursday.
“I’m incredibly honored and excited to be named the next head coach of the Providence Friars men’s basketball program,” Hodgson said in a release. “This is a program with a proud tradition, passionate fan base, and a city that truly embraces its team. We’re going to build something that reflects that pride. We will be tough, disciplined, and relentless in our pursuit of excellence.”
Providence will mark Hodgson’s third program in three years. Before helming the Bulls, he spent two seasons at Arkansas State — leading the Red Wolves to the Sun Belt regular-season title in his final season.
Hodgson joins the Big East in an attempt to revive a Providence program reeling from back-to-back losing seasons under Kim English, who was informed earlier this month that he’d be fired at season’s end.
The Friars last made the NCAA Tournament in 2023.
While initially linked to the Providence gig ahead of his hiring, Hodgson was also briefly tied to the head coaching gig in Syracuse, which fired Adrian Autry after the ACC Tournament.
Hodgson addressed coaching the coaching buzz ahead of the Louisville game, saying that it was “no distraction,” but it was also “great to be wanted.”
He ultimately rejected the Syracuse job on Tuesday, first reported by The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman, who said Hodgson would “likely” decide between staying with USF or leaving for Providence.
A few days later, he chose the latter.
