Ex-Kansas State coach Jerome Tang finalizing return to Baylor as associate head coach: Source

Jerome Tang and Baylor are working on finalizing a deal that will make Tang the associate head coach on Scott Drew’s staff, according to a source briefed on the situation.

Tang was fired for cause midway through his fourth season as Kansas State’s head coach on Feb. 15, four days after a blowout loss to Cincinnati when Tang said his players did not “deserve to wear this uniform.” Outside of hiring legal counsel in an attempt to fight for the $18.7 million buyout in his contract, Tang has kept quiet publicly since the firing.

At the time of the firing, Tang said he was “deeply disappointed with the university’s decision and strongly disagree with the characterization of my termination.” Tang hired attorneys Tom Mars and Bennett Speyer to represent him, but his team has yet to file a lawsuit.

Drew has been rebuilding his staff this offseason; a position opened in December when assistant Jared Nuness stepped away from the program. General manager Jason Smith recently announced his departure for another opportunity and has been replaced by former Baylor guard Jake Lindsey, who spent the last three years on Grand Canyon’s staff.

Tang was on staff for Drew’s first 19 seasons in Waco and was the associate head coach for Baylor’s 2021 national title team. Tang helped coach the defense at the end of his tenure. The Bears ranked fourth, 22nd and 13th in adjusted defensive efficiency in his final three years with the program and have finished with an average rank of 86th in the four years since. Drew did bring in Ron Sanchez a year ago to help run the defense. Sanchez, a longtime assistant to former Virginia coach Tony Bennett, was the Cavaliers’ interim head coach during the 2024-25 season.

Tang finished with a 71-57 record at K-State. He made an Elite Eight run in his first season but was unable to make it back to the NCAA Tournament during his final three years in Manhattan. Now he and Drew will try to recapture the magic they had during their first run together, which included an 81-13 record in Tang’s final three years at Baylor.