Rick Byrd (Belmont)
Pros: He’s making between $500,000 and $700,000 at Belmont depending on whose numbers you trust. He’s affordable. And he’s taken his team to the NCAA Tournament four out of the last five years and won multiple regular season or conference championships in the same timespan. He’s a proven winner who can consistently beat more talented teams and is a Knoxville native. Byrd’s Belmont team was the only team from the state to make the NCAA Tournament this year.
Cons: He’s been at Belmont since 1986 and hasn’t indicated the willingness the leave. Fair or not, at 61 years of age, he doesn’t have the youthful draw of some other coaches.
