Utah State head coach Danny Sprinkle on the move

Utah State men’s basketball coach Danny Sprinkle is off to Washington after less than a year with the Aggies, the Huskies announced Monday.

“It was going to take something special for me to leave Logan, and the University of Washington was it,” Sprinkle said in a statement. “The university means a great deal to our family and I am excited to return to my home state.”

In just over 11 months, Sprinkle rebuilt the Aggies’ entire roster and won the Mountain West conference outright. He secured the program’s first NCAA Tournament victory in 23 years against TCU to cap off a 28-win season.

Sprinkle returned to Logan on Sunday after a loss to No. 1 Purdue. By Monday morning, he was headed to the Big Ten.

Sprinkle’s deal is worth $22.1 million over the course of six years. That’s a substantial raise from the $900,000 base salary for his original five-year contract at Utah State.

“Simply put, Coach Sprinkle is a winner,” Washington interim athletics director Erin O’Connell said in a statement. “He won as a high school player, as a collegiate student-athlete, as an assistant coach, and then at both stops as a head coach, including the recent regular season conference championship at Utah State.”

While Sprinkle’s move to Seattle was expected, it continues a trend of losing coaches in Logan.

The last four head coaches since Stew Morrill have not spent more than three years on the job.

Tim Duryea was fired after three disappointing seasons. Craig Smith, Ryan Odom and Sprinkle all left for other head coaching jobs. Former interim athletic director Jerry Bovee was hopeful Sprinkle would stay longer last spring, but Sprinkle’s success put him in the discussion for national coach of the year awards.

At Washington, Sprinkle will take over a program that is transitioning from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten. The last time Washington made the NCAA Tournament was 2019.

Sprinkle has made the tournament each of the last three seasons, including twice with Montana State.