After eight seasons leading the Arkansas Razorbacks women’s basketball program, Mike Neighbors has officially stepped down as head coach. The 55-year-old, who took over at his alma mater in 2017, announced his resignation Tuesday and is set to join the South Carolina Gamecocks in an unspecified role.
“For me, being a Razorback, one day being the head coach would have been plenty,” Neighbors told ESPN. “I think I got to coach 2,898 days. So I’ll look at it in its entirety.”
Neighbors leaves Arkansas with a 148-114 record, having guided the program to six postseason appearances, including NCAA Tournament berths in 2021 and 2022—the first time the Razorbacks had earned back-to-back spots in nearly two decades. His best season came in 2019-20 when Arkansas finished 24-8 and tied for third in the SEC before the NCAA Tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite his earlier success, Arkansas struggled in recent years, finishing the 2024-25 season with a disappointing 10-22 record and a 3-13 mark in SEC play, tied for last place in the conference. Neighbors acknowledged the downturn but remained proud of his tenure.
“I’ll walk out of here shoulders back, chin up,” he said. “Being from this state, I’ve been a Razorback since I was 5. … It’s hard, but we ask kids to do hard things all the time.”
Neighbors previously gained national attention as the head coach at Washington, leading the Huskies to the 2016 Final Four behind star guard Kelsey Plum. That success ultimately led him to Arkansas, where he aimed to restore the Razorbacks’ prominence in the SEC.
While the Razorbacks now begin their search for a new head coach, Neighbors is set to join Dawn Staley’s staff at South Carolina. His role with the Gamecocks has yet to be formally announced, but his coaching experience and offensive acumen could make him a valuable addition to the powerhouse program.
With Arkansas looking to rebuild and South Carolina continuing its dominance, Neighbors now transitions to a new chapter, bringing his coaching expertise to a perennial national contender.