KNOXVILLE — Tennessee agreed to a deal to hire former Texas coach Rick Barnes as its new basketball coach this morning, the Times Free Press can confirm.
The two sides were nearing a deal on Monday. A formal announcement is expected later today, along with a news conference to introduce Barnes, who took the Longhorns to 16 NCAA tournaments in 17 seasons in Austin.
The Volunteers fired Donnie Tyndall after just one season on Friday amid an NCAA investigation into his former program at Southern Mississippi.
Tennessee announced the hire later Tuesday morning. The Vols will introduce Barnes in a news conference at Pratt Pavilion at 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.
“Rick Barnes is an elite basketball coach in every respect,” athletic director Dave Hart said in Tennessee’s release. “Rick brings an extremely impressive track record of excellence, as well as much-needed stability, to our men’s basketball program. This is an exciting day for our Tennessee family.”