Kermit Davis expected to be the next coach at Ole Miss

Kermit Davis is reportedly next in line to be the new Ole Miss Rebels men’s basketball coach. Jeff Goodman of ESPN reported on Wednesday that Davis, who has spent the last 15 seasons with the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders, will likely accept the job this week.

Davis has found his form over the last seven seasons or so. He hasn’t had a year at or below .500 since the 2010-11 campaign. He’s led the Blue Raiders to six 20+ win seasons, with five of them at or exceeding 25 wins. He had a 31-win year in the 2016-17 campaign, in which MTSU won Conference USA. Speaking of which, he’s won two conference titles and finished first in the East Division of the Sun Belt twice back in 2011 and 2012.

He was on the sidelines for MTSU’s last two NCAA Tournament appearances. They, of course, famously took down the Michigan State Spartans in 2016 and defeated the Minnesota Golden Gophers in 2017.

Recruiting wise, he’s finished in the top third of C-USA several times and in the Top 100 several times. Obviously, recruiting in that conference compared to the SEC will be a tough mountain to climb. Especially with how improved the conference is. But, Davis certainly proved that he can win at MTSU and hang with the big guns in the NCAA Tournament. If that can translate, then Davis may certainly prove to be a worthy hire in Oxford.

But it certainly won’t be easy. Ole Miss is perhaps the lowest-rated job in the entire conference. They’re coming off a 12-20 campaign in the 2017-18 season. While they ranked 102nd on KenPom, they still finished last in the SEC with a 5-13 record and there were hardly any positives to take from this past year. Ole Miss certainly went to sky high heights (relatively speaking) under former head coach Andy Kennedy. Kermit Davis will have big shoes to fill, no doubt.