As the Loyola Ramblers find themselves eliminated from the NCAA Tournament, the attention of their fan base will likely turn to whether or not head coach Porter Moser will be back on the team's sideline next season, with several high-profile coaching jobs potentially enticing him to leave.
Moser, who has now led the Ramblers to the Sweet 16 in two of the last four seasons, was a hot commodity after Loyola’s Final Four run in 2018, but this time around there are some big-time programs that could potentially look to lure him away from his current job.
This, of course, assumes that Moser would even seriously entertain offers from other schools. After Loyola made the Final Four in 2018, Moser signed a rich new contract extension with Loyola through the 2025-26 season, and boosters could conceivably band together again to make sure that another contract extension could be worked out.
After Loyola's loss to Oregon State on Saturday, Moser told reporters that he needed to "take a breath" before pondering his future.
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"All my thoughts are with these guys and this program," Moser said. "So, no, I haven't. And I just need to take a breath with these guys... It's fresh off a loss. And I'm going to digest it with these guys."
If Moser does decide to listen to offers, the highest-profile school on the list at the moment is Indiana, who parted ways with Archie Miller earlier this month. The Hoosiers have not made the NCAA Tournament since 2016, and with a fan base that is starved for a winner in Bloomington, Moser could be looked to as a potential candidate to lead the program back to the promised land.
Even if Moser wants to venture outside of the Midwest, two Big XII programs could potentially catch his attention. Texas is looking for a new head coach after Shaka Smart left the school to pursue a new opportunity with Marquette, and with a lucrative television contract and a team that was one of the most highly-touted in the nation before they were bounced from the NCAA Tournament in the first round, the Longhorns could make a compelling case that Moser should consider them.
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Oklahoma is also looking for a new head coach after Lon Kruger announced his retirement earlier this month. The Sooners have made the NCAA tournament in each of the last three seasons (not including the 2020 season, when the tournament wasn’t contested), and Moser could see the appeal in heading to Norman.
Finally, on the off-chance that Moser really doesn’t want to leave Chicago, he could stay in the Windy City and coach DePaul, who fired former head coach Dave Leitao earlier this month. The Blue Demons haven’t made the tournament since 2004, and could pose a unique challenge should Moser decide to go elsewhere.
