Talk about a philosophical shift. A year after betting on upside, South Florida is bringing in a veteran winner as its 13th men’s basketball coach.
Chris Mack, who has a 15-year resume featuring more than 300 career wins and nine NCAA tournament appearances, was hired on Wednesday, USF Athletics CEO Rob Higgins announced.
Mack replaces Bryan Hodgson, who led the Bulls to an American Conference title and NCAA tournament bid in his only season before jumping to Providence College. A year ago, Hodgson was a rising name with only two years as a head coach at Arkansas State.
Like Hodgson, Mack brings “elite experience in roster building through the portal and transforming programs in a short time frame,” Higgins said in a statement.
Mack, 56, spent the past two seasons at College of Charleston, compiling a 45-20 record. Before that, he coached at Louisville (2018-22) and Xavier (2009-18).
Overall, he has a career mark of 323-153 (68% winning percentage) with 12 20-win seasons. That includes four NCAA Sweet 16s and an Elite Eight at Xavier, his alma mater.
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"I am truly excited for the opportunity to lead a South Florida basketball program that's on an exceptional trajectory and to join a university and athletic department defined by strong leadership, shared aspirations, and tremendous alignment," Mack said in the statement.
Mack is one of 19 coaches to lead their team to a No. 1 ranking within the first two years at their school. He was named Coach of the Year in the Big East (2018) and Atlantic 10 (2011). In 2019–20, his Louisville team was ranked No. 1 for multiple weeks by the Associated Press, and his 2017-18 Xavier squad earned a top seed in the NCAAs.
At Xavier, Mack posted a 215‑97 record over nine seasons (split between the Atlantic 10 and Big East) before accepting Louisville's offer to move up to the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Mack’s Cardinals went 76‑43 (44‑28 ACC), but he was dismissed midway through 2021‑22 after an 11‑9 start and a six-game suspension over his handling of an off-court incident with a former assistant.
In 2024, he replaced Pat Kelsey, who — ironically — left Charleston to take the head position at Louisville. Kelsey's Cardinals eliminated the Bulls in the first round of this year's NCAA tournament last week.
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At USF, Mack takes over a program that has won 20-plus games in two of the past three seasons, but has undergone coaching changes five straight years.
"Bulls basketball has incredible momentum, and we've found an outstanding coach and leader to elevate our program to the next level," Higgins said.
Hodgson replaced interim coach Ben Fletcher, who was 13-19 after taking over days before the 2024-25 season because of the unexpected death of Amir Abdur-Rahim, who turned around the program in one season (25-8, regular-season American title).
Abdur-Rahim replaced Brian Gregory, who went 79–107 over six seasons before he was fired in 2023.
"The exceptional vision and commitment Rob outlined are inspiring, and I am grateful for his trust and belief in my leadership of Bulls basketball,” Mack said.
A 1992 Xavier graduate with a degree in communication arts, Mack was a two-time team captain at Xavier under coach Pete Gillen. During that era, the Musketeers won an MCC regular season title and made an NCAA appearance in 1993. He also played two seasons at Evansville, helping the Purple Aces to a 1989 conference title and NCAA bid.
An introductory press conference in Tampa is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday.
Mack and his wife, Christi, have three children: Lainee, Hailee and Brayden.
Mack’s hiring comes a day after Higgins hired another veteran coach — Alabama’s Kristy Curry — as women’s basketball head coach. That concluded an 11-day national search that began with the firing of one-year interim head coach Michele Woods-Baxter.
In December, USF hired Brian Hartline, an assistant at Ohio State, as football head coach, replacing Alex Golesh, who was hired by Auburn as head coach.
