Former Utah assistant coach Tramel Barnes was officially hired by South Dakota State this week.
Barnes spent the three previous seasons with the Runnin’ Utes head coach Craig Smith before joining the Jackrabbits this offseason. Barnes’ exit marks the third assistant coaching departure on Smith’s staff this offseason. Former assistants DeMarlo Slocum and Chris Burgess left for Washington and BYU, respectively.
Before joining Smith at Utah, Barnes spent the 2019-21 seasons with the Jackrabbits under SDSU head coach Eric Henderson. There, he helped guide the Jackrabbits to two Summit League regular season championships.
Alongside coaching turnover, Utah has seen its fair share of player churn this offseason, adding six new players to the roster while losing five former Runnin’ Utes to the transfer portal this offseason. Mike Sharavjamts, a junior forward, was the latest addition to Smith’s roster after he committed on June 4.
Before Barnes left, Smith hired former West Virginia interim head coach and assistant Josh Eilert on June 6. Utah will now have to fill another assistant coach vacancy with Barnes’ exit from the program.
