Northern Kentucky Norse head coach John Brannen reportedly is the Cincinnati Bearcats' choice to replace Mick Cronin and fill UC's head coaching vacancy.
CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein reported via Twitter on Sunday afternoon that UC is expected to hire Brannen.
The 45-year-old Brannen, an Alexandria native and Newport Central Catholic graduate, has been NKU's head coach since 2015. In just four seasons, Brannen helped the Norse from a 9-21 record in his first year to 26-9 this past season, in addition to two NCAA Tournament appearances and one NIT appearance.