Staff file photo / Greg Macafee Youngstown State men’s basketball coach Jerrod Calhoun shouts out direction to his players during their road matchup against Cleveland State.

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State basketball coach Jerrod Calhoun is departing the program for Utah State, according to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Calhoun, who took over at YSU in 2017, went 118-105 in seven seasons with YSU. Previously, he was 124-38 as head coach at Division II Fairmont State, where he took the Falcons to a national title appearance in his final season.

YSU’s program flourished under Calhoun. After going 8-24 and 12-20 in his first two seasons, Calhoun didn’t have a losing season in his final five years. The apex came in the 2022-23 campaign, which saw the Penguins win a Horizon League regular season championship and claim a berth in the NIT.

Youngstown State went 22-9 in the 2023-24 season.

Thamel reported Friday night that Calhoun and Utah State agreed to a five-year contract. The Aggies are coming off a 28-7 season that ended in the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a loss to Purdue. USU coach Danny Sprinkle recently was named head coach at the University of Washington after just one season with the Aggies.