Adam Rittenberg
Multiple Authors
Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger shot down reviews linking him to different jobs, together with the North Carolina emptiness, saying he’s “thrilled to be the coach of the Cyclones” and appears ahead to future success in Ames.
Otzelberger, who leads No. 2 seed Iowa State towards No. 6 Tennessee in an NCAA event Sweet 16 matchup Friday night time, addressed his standing after arriving at the staff resort Wednesday in Chicago. He stated any hypothesis linking him to different jobs is “not true.”
“As we move forward together, the alignment on our campus with [university president David] Cook, [athletic director] Jamie Pollard is amazing, and we’re thrilled and excited about our future together,” Otzelberger stated. “There’s no questions about it, there’s nothing to talk about, there’s nothing else to answer. That’s the truth.”
Pollard, who employed Otzelberger and has been Iowa State’s athletic director since 2005, adopted the coach’s feedback with a publish on X.
“Excited for Cyclone Nation that TJ is not going anywhere — he will be our basketball coach for a long time!” Pollard wrote.
Otzelberger, 48, is in his fifth season at ISU, going 124-52, together with three journeys to the Sweet 16. In December 2024, he agreed to a brand new contract by means of the 2031-32 season which pays him $4 million yearly and features a $4 million buyout if he had been to depart for an additional job.
Otzelberger beforehand led applications at UNLV and South Dakota State earlier than returning to ISU, the place he was an assistant from 2006 to 2013.
