West Virginia hires Ross Hodge: North Texas coach to depart following Mean Green's NIT run

Hodge has been a rising star in recent seasons thanks to his stellar reputation as a defensive tactician

Another high-major vacancy is off the board.

West Virginia has hired North Texas coach Ross Hodge on a five-year contract, sources told CBS Sports. An official announcement is expected on Wednesday, and certainly no later than Thursday. Timing for Hodge's introductory press conference is to-be-determined because, according to a source, because North Texas is still playing in the NIT. The Mean Green won at Oklahoma State on Tuesday night and will play in the semifinals at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis next Tuesday. Hodge will coach North Texas until the end of its season, one source added.

Hodge became the primary target for Mountaineers AD Wren Baker after trying to land Ben McCollum (who took the Iowa job) and making contact with Richard Pitino (who left New Mexico for Xavier). Hodge interviewed for the job in Texas last week with West Virginia officials.

The 44-year-old Hodge spent the past two seasons at North Texas and has a 46-23 record overall, with a second-place finish in the American Athletic Conference this season. This season's team is 27-8 despite losing starters last year in the portal to the likes of St. John's, Michigan and Vanderbilt — all teams that qualified for the NCAAs. 

Hodge, who has been coaching at the junior-college and mid-major level since graduating from Texas A&M-Commerce in 2003, is considered one of the sharpest defensive minds in college basketball. UNT has been one of the tougher programs to scheme against on the that end of the floor — not just in the past two seasons, but in the years prior, when Hodge was the program's defensive coordinator under former coach Grant McCasland (now at Texas Tech). 

With West Virginia's vacancy now closed, Villanova is the lone high-major program yet to fill.