FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas basketball head coach Eric Musselman has consistently been a rumored candidate for a handful of coaching vacancies this offseason.

Last week, Razorbacks fans thought they could breathe a sigh of relief with Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek shared a video on his 'X' profile that insinuated Musselman would be returning for next season. The video below shows Yurachek getting on a bus with Musselman as the driver, and the athletic director shouts 'you're still here?' when he realizes it's Musselman behind the wheel.

Many fans assumed he had signed a new contract, but in an interview with the '1 Star Recruits Podcast', Yurachek confirmed Musselman has not inked a new deal and the video he released was a surprise to Musselman.

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"That is my sense of humor coming across," Yurachek said. "That was not something that was a coordinated or collaborated effort between myself and Coach Musselman."

The Arkansas head coach is typically one of the most active college basketball coaches on social media, but he has not yet engaged with Yurachek's video.

National writers pegged Musselman as a candidate at both Louisville and SMU, with both schools already making head coaching hires. However, the Mustangs hired USC's Andy Enfield, creating a new head coaching opening with the Trojans in Los Angeles.

Musselman spent some of his childhood in Southern California and played basketball at the University of San Diego. CBS Sports' Matt Norlander said that USC will look into the Arkansas head coach in a post on 'X'.

What did Yurachek have to say about Musselman's status as Arkansas head coach and why he made the video?

"That video was just to kind of dispel some of the rumors that hey, he's still our basketball coach," Yurachek said.

"Now this may change tomorrow. You'll have to ask Coach Musselman that, but we very much want him to be an Arkansas Razorback."

According to a database compiled by USA TODAY Sports, Musselman is the 12th-highest paid coach in the country with an annual salary of $4.2 million. There are some head coaches at private universities whose salaries are unknown.

But perhaps the most interesting aspect of Musselman's contract is his buyout. If Musselman decides to leave Arkansas this offseason, he or the school that hires him would owe the Razorbacks just $1 million. That number drops to $750,000 after next season.

There is also a $1.5 million retention bonus he’d receive if Musselman is still the head coach at Arkansas on April 30, 2026.

For the first time in Eric Musselman's five-year run at the school, the Razorbacks (16-17) were shut out of the NCAA Tournament. Their postseason ended with a loss to South Carolina in the second round of the SEC Tournament. Musselman has already guided the Hogs to a pair of trips to the Elite Eight.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek confirms no new contract for Eric Musselman