What comes next for Gophers volleyball with Hugh McCutcheon era as coach ended?

For the first time in a decade, Gophers volleyball begins an offseason of uncertainty coming off a four-set loss to Ohio State in the Sweet 16 on Thursday.

The pending resignation of coach Hugh McCutcheon after 11 seasons and his move into a new role as assistant athletic director/sport development coach, puts the athletic department in a position it hasn't had to occupy for some time — dictating the direction of the program.

A 10-person search committee chaired by deputy athletic director Julie Manning is considering external and internal candidates, including interim head coach Matt Houk. It would not be a surprise if a final announcement isn't made until after the NCAA tournament concludes next weekend.

Outside of the coaching search, there is another large question mark — does this team stay intact?

If it does, the Gophers will bring back a roster loaded with talent and expectations including Big Ten Player of the Year Taylor Landfair and integral players from this season like setter Melani Shaffmaster, attackers Jenna Wenaas and Mckenna Wucherer, and middle blockers Arica Davis and Carter Booth.

Contributors and developing players like Julia Hanson, Elise McGhie and Lauren Crowl would also be back.

Incoming freshmen Calissa Minatee of North Kansas City, Mo., and Sydney Schnichels of Willmar, who won the Ms. Baden Award as the top player in Minnesota, are two of the top prospects in the country. And the team already has verbal commitments for the Class of 2024 from Wayzata's Stella Swenson — the two-time Star Tribune All-Metro Player of the Year — and her twin sister Olivia Swenson, who also made All-Metro first-team this season.

It is the sort of roster and recruiting class that would continue the expectations that became rote under McCutcheon: Big Ten titles, deep NCAA tournament runs, packed stands at Maturi Pavilion.

But it's not guaranteed. Last year when Russ Rose retired as Penn State volleyball coach after 43 years, the team lost seven players to the transfer portal.

If Minnesota can keep its roster together, it will also need to use that transfer portal to develop an empty back row with the graduation of CC McGraw and Rachel Kilkelly, the top defensive specialists on the roster.

The team used the portal to great effect this season, adding middle blockers Davis from Ohio State and Naya Gros from Michigan State and bringing in McGhie from Kansas.

The moment points to one conclusion: This is the start of a major transformation for Gophers volleyball.

The hiring of McCutcheon was kismet. An internationally renowned coach coming off a string of Olympic successes for Team USA, looking for a job close to home with his wife, who just so happened to be Elisabeth Bachman, one of the best volleyball players Minnesota has produced.

And McCutcheon was able to continue the work, and deep tradition, that was built by his predecessor Mike Hebert. Plus McCutcheon augmented it, adding a layer of international prestige and player development bonafides that brought in top players from across the country.

That kind of hire is impossible to replicate but his tenure should make the job as alluring as any in the country.

The Gophers are perennially in the top-five in national attendance. They have been to eight-straight Sweet 16s and reached three Final Fours in the past eight seasons. They have made the NCAA tournament in 25 of the past 27 seasons.

Talk to Gophers players and they will tell you that McCutcheon was so vital because he believes in holistic development. His players appreciated him because he treated them like people, not commodities. Opposing coaches valued him because he was open to sharing his expertise. Winning was not his only aim.

But he sure did win a lot. Nothing less will be expected in 2023.