Jose Fernandez to stay with USF after approach from Miami
Longtime women’s basketball coach Jose Fernandez confirmed that he would remain with USF after the University of Miami approached him.
“The University of South Florida has been my home for the last 24 years and there is no place I would rather be,” Fernandez said in a Wednesday social media statement.
It was reported by For the Win and the Tampa Bay Times that Fernandez’s representatives were in talks with the Hurricanes regarding its vacant head coaching position on Tuesday.
Related: USF’s Jose Fernandez in talks to coach at University of Miami
Former UM coach Katie Meier retired earlier this year after 19 seasons.
Fernandez, 52, had various coaching jobs in the Miami-Dade area before joining USF in 2000. He took over the head coach position at USF in November of that year.
USF has been to nine NCAA tournaments and produced 11 20-win seasons during his 24-year tenure. The team also won AAC regular season titles in 2021 and 2023.
Last October, Fernandez signed a two-year extension to a six-year, $4.3 million deal that will keep him at USF until 2029. His annual salary tops out at $800,000 excluding bonuses, according to his contract.
“I’m so proud to be the Head Women’s Basketball Coach at this tremendous academic institution,” he wrote. “With our outstanding leadership, we are in a position to accomplish even greater successes in the years to come.”
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