Providence didn’t take long to make its first move towards rebuilding and resolving the mess left by Kim English. After missing three consecutive March Madness appearances since Ed Cooley left, the Friars have brought in former South Florida coach Bryan Hodgson, but this revamp comes with a hefty price.

CBS Sports analyst Matt Norlander confirmed this report via X. He also shared that, amid this move, the Friars’ front office is planning to spend more than $10M in NIL money to bring in top talent from the transfer portal ahead of Hodgson’s first year at the helm.

“News: Providence has hired Bryan Hodgson on a five-year contract, sources told CBS Sports. The deal was agreed to late Saturday night. The Friars expect to easily clear $10 million in NIL for next season’s roster, the post read.

Hodgson’s move to the Friars naturally brings high expectations. While the $10M amount gives him a bit of leverage to frame the roster his way, it also adds pressure to turn around the program after a dismal 2025-26 season, when they went 15-18 and 7-13. But the positive for him is that he knows the recruiting world all too well.

Across his years as an assistant and head coach, Hodgson has established himself as a top recruiter. 247Sports.com ranked him the No.2 recruiter nationally in the 2022-23 season. Thus, given his skill set, the $10M investment is quite a technical decision, and a safe bet the Friars are making on Hodgson. Friars athletics director Steve Napolillo echoed this same sentiment in his statement.

“Over the last three years, Bryan has successfully used analytics, his recruiting skills, and coaching to win 70 games. Bryan is a winner, and we need a winning culture at Providence College,” he said.

Furthermore, his head coaching record adds weight to his selection. In his latest assignment with South Florida, Hodgson created history by taking the program to their first March Madness appearance in the last 14 years. Though they lost in the first round of the tournament to Louisville, the journey towards March Madness itself speaks highly of Hodgson’s skills in rebuilding programs.

And the thing to note in his resume is that Hodgson’s skill sets are not defined by a one-off season with the Bulls, but a tried and tested method that he embedded during his Arkansas State stint, too, where he guided the Red Wolves to a Sun Belt regular season championship and an NIT appearance in 2025.

Thus, with such successive stints, it’s only fair that Bryan Hodgson gets a go-ahead in the prominent Big East conference over other possible candidates like Jose Schertz and Jerrod Calhoun.

Bryan Hodgson Opens Up About the DNA He Wants to Embed in Providence Friars

Beyond the trivialities, the main question surrounding Bryan Hodgson’s move is how he plans to rebuild the Providence Friars program, a team that has been devoid of success over the last couple of years and has not qualified for any postseason tournament since the 2023-24 season. But his perspective is quite simple: he aspires to follow the style that has been associated with him time and again: top discipline and relentless effort on the court.

“This is a program with a proud tradition, passionate fan base, and a city that truly embraces its team,” Hodgson said upon joining Providence. “We’re going to build something that reflects that pride. We will be tough, disciplined, and relentless in our pursuit of excellence.”

On the court, quite similar to Nate Oats, whom Hodgson assisted at Alabama, Hodgson relies heavily on transition and volume scoring from beyond the arc. In doing so, Hodgson will face challenges of his own in framing the roster. With their formidable offensive players, Jaylin Sellers and Jason Edwards, bidding goodbye to the program after their senior years, the Friars will have to find replacements.

Jamier Jones and Steven Vaaks are already emerging as potential candidates in this regard. And Hodgson might be able to trust them to do most of the heavy lifting on offense.

If Hodgson can use the reported $10M NIL money fruitfully in the transfer portal, the Big East conference might be looking at a team to deal with in the upcoming seasons under Hodgson.

Additionally, it’s quite certain that, in his first year, Hodgson will have to prove himself and establish a sustainable culture to create a change in DNA and win the locker room’s confidence. Thus, with all these challenges to address, interesting times lie ahead for Bryan Hodgson and the Providence Friars.

What are your expectations from this association? Do let us know in the comments.