INDIANAPOLIS — Dan Earl came to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2022 as a head coach that — at least to a majority of UTC supporters — had more questions than answers.
The former Virginia Military Institute coach was coming off a seven-year run with a record of 73-139 — “Thanks for reminding me,” Earl said with a laugh to media on Thursday night after the Mocs had claimed the National Invitation Tournament title with an 85-84 win over UC Irvine — while the Mocs were fresh off winning the Southern Conference regular-season and tournament championships and nearly beating Illinois in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
But UTC athletic director Mark Wharton saw something in him. Much like he did previous coach Lamont Paris, who he gave an extension despite a 22-45 record after two seasons and was rewarded three years later. Paris also gave a vote of confidence to Earl after a 2022 contest against the Keydets.
Three seasons later, nobody seems to care about Earl’s previous record. Since taking over at UTC, Earl has compiled a 68-39 record, two 20-win seasons, the 2025 SoCon regular-season championship and now the NIT title, the program’s first national championship since claiming the 1977 Division II crown.