BYU reportedly will target Mark Madsen for their potentially open coaching role

The Cal men's basketball head coach was considered in the past for the BYU role, but would he be willing to uproot himself and leave home?

Credit: Rob Hwang

With Kentucky likely on the verge of unexpectedly hiring BYU head coach Mark Pope, attention has turned to who the Cougars will target next. And unfortunately, the California Golden Bears might end up be put in the news for a little while. Mark Madsen is a rumored candidate by some national and BYU reporters.

Here is a full list of potential candidates by KSL, that include Madsen, Utah assistant Chris Burgess, and UNLV assistant Barret Peery.

Madsen is a member of the LDS Church and an avowed Mormon, so he checks off the big box for BYU. Madsen has already coached in Utah, coming to Cal via Utah Valley, which is essentially a neighborhood away from Provo. And BYU will have a significant chunk of buyout money from Pope’s departure.

That being said, it’s hard to imagine Madsen uprooting himself and his family from his East Bay roots and heading back to Utah. Madsen has just signed a two-year extension that was designed to keep him in Berkeley until the end of the decade. Also, remember BYU had the chance to hire Madsen a few years ago in replacing Dave Rose and went with Pope instead.

Obviously, there is still some uncertainty regarding the work that will need to be done in the transfer portal to fill Cal’s roster. But Madsen seems to have shown that he has the energy for this and has been nothing but abrasive in his praise for the Berkeley experience.

However, the speculation will continue until the BYU position is filled.