Jerome Tang threw a wrench in Arkansas’ search for its next head coach on Friday night, opting to stay at Kansas State.

Tang announced via social media that he’ll be sticking around at Kansas State. It was a brutal turn of events as Chris Beard reportedly decided to stay at Ole Miss on Friday as well.

Here’s Tang’s announcement:

Earlier this week, Eric Musselman departed for USC, leaving a hole in the program at head coach. Tang and Beard were amongst the top candidates expected to be considered for the Arkansas vacancy.

With another person linked to the opening slamming the door shut, the list of replacements for Arkansas grows shorter. One of the top candidates for the Arkansas opening is former LSU coach Will Wade, who is at McNeese State. Wade’s team made it to March Madness, but ended up losing to Gonzaga in the 1st round.

After coaching the Wildcats to the Elite Eight in 2022, K-State missed the NCAA Tournament with a 19-15 record this season. K-State’s season ended in the quarterfinal round of the Big 12 Tournament after losing to Iowa State. Tang has an overall record of 45-25 with Kansas State and is off to a good start despite a down year in the 2023-2024 season.

The 2023-2024 season was a rough outing for Arkansas. After leading Arkansas to the Sweet 16 the previous season, Musselman won 16 games and exited in the 2nd round of the SEC Tournament. Musselman finished his time in Fayetteville with a 111-59 record.

Arkansas’ search for its next head coach is set to continue until at least Saturday.

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