Moser, who built a mid-major power at Loyola, is off to Norman
Oklahoma is hiring Loyola Chicago head coach Porter Moser as its next head coach, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. Moser replaces Lon Kruger, who retired in March after 10 seasons in Norman.
Moser, a native of Naperville, IL, has a career record of 293-242 as a head coach. His stock has risen dramatically in recent years after taking Loyola to the Final Four in 2018 as a No. 11 seed. Since, the Ramblers have become a mid-major powerhouse, earning a No. 8 seed in this year’s men's NCAA tournament and upsetting No. 1 seed Illinois to advance to the Sweet 16 before falling to Oregon State. Moser has also spent time in his career as the head coach at Arkansas-Little Rock and Illinois State. He also worked under legendary head coach Rick Majerus at St. Louis.
Moser has turned down offers from bigger programs in the past, including a strong push from St. John’s in 2019. Matt Norlander of CBS Sports reported that Loyola made a “huge offer” to keep Moser, one that included a 10-year contract extension. But the Ramblers were unable to hold off Oklahoma, a program that has made the NCAA tournament in eight of the past seasons.
The Sooners also reportedly considered North Texas head coach Grant McCasland to replace Kruger before settling on Moser.