The Runnin' Utes officially have a new man at the helm in Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Alex Jensen, and the fanbase has been fired up ever since the former program great was announced.
With Larsen being one of the three new coaching hires in college basketball so far, On3's James Fletcher III has graded each hiring up to this point, and he gave the Larsen hiring a B grade which so far is the second highest on the list.
"After deciding to move on from Craig Smith early, Utah worked quickly on Dallas Mavericks assistant Alex Jensen in a deal that draws a striking resemblance to the 2024 cycle. Like their rival BYU did last year, the Utes turned to a coveted NBA assistant with ties to the area," Fletcher III said.
"The next step for Utah is raising NIL funds to a level which can compete with not only their in-state rivals, but the rest of the Big 12 as well. Given the current state of the program, there is no extreme makeover necessary to enter NCAA Tournament consideration early," he continued.
He harped on the need for the program to invest in their NIL now that the coach is in place, and that sentiment has been echoed by the Utah faithful as a must if the program truly wants to enter a new golden era.
With the potential hiring a former teammate of Jensen, Andre Miller, to be the assistant coach for the Utes, it's clear that athletic director Mark Harlan wants to not only repair relations with the fans, but also to return to national prominence for the once storied and beloved program, and focusing on NIL is the next step in that process.
Related: Andre Miller Seen as Favorite for Utah Utes Assistant Coach Vacancy
Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published March 10, 2025 at 4:14 PM.