Bryan Hodgson out of the running at Syracuse, understandably, has some fans livid

Western New York native and South Florida head coach Bryan Hodgson, rumored as a top candidate in Syracuse basketball's head coaching search, is out of the running for the Orange job, and that has some SU fans absolutely irate.

Now, let's have a bit of context here. For one, several media reports on Tuesday night stated that Hodgson, who is originally from the Buffalo area, turned down the 'Cuse job. I was told on Tuesday evening that Hodgson, indeed, is out of the running for the SU vacancy, but whether he turned down Syracuse or something else has transpired, that remains unclear to me.

Either way, once news broke that Hodgson is off the board for the Orange head coaching post, disappointment ensued among many Syracuse basketball fans on social media (namely, X) and in chat rooms. I get the disappointment and frustration. I really do.

However, I'd caution one thing. We don't know with 100 percent certainty - at least, I don't - that Hodgson turned down the 'Cuse. He could have. Then again, maybe SU's brass has found a candidate whom they like better. Or perhaps when discussions came up regarding his potential salary and/or the Orange's NIL budget for the upcoming season, Hodgson (or his agent) asked for more than Syracuse leaders were willing to commit.

Syracuse basketball will now shift its attention to other head coaching candidates.

Regardless, Hodgson is out, and that has irritated some 'Cuse fans. Now, part of that could be due to reports suggesting that both Syracuse basketball and Big East Conference member Providence have been heavily involved with Hodgson (and his agent) for their respective vacancies.

The optics of the Orange possibly not being able to prevail for Hodgson, who has said he was a 'Cuse fan growing up, aren't great. I've come across tons of comments from SU fans on social media and in chat forums stating that it's a sad state of the Syracuse program that it can't beat out a team like Providence for a head coaching candidate from New York state.

Of course, to reiterate, we don't know the ins and outs of the situation. And money - for better or for worse - dictates just about everything these days in college sports, especially in basketball and football.

On Monday night, national analyst Jeff Goodman, the co-founder of The Field of 68, said that he thought Providence was "probably" in the lead over Syracuse for Hodgson, who is who is 70–36 overall in three seasons as a head coach (two at Arkansas State and one at USF).

South Florida (25-8 overall), the No. 11 seed in the East Region, will face No. 6 seed Louisville (23-10 overall) in the round of 64 on Thursday, March 19, in Buffalo, N.Y., in a homecoming for Hodgson. One other important aspect here is that, per Goodman, South Florida has made a "lucrative offer" to Hodgson to keep him at the helm of the Bulls.