FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas basketball isn't just losing a head coach with Eric Musselman's departure to the University of Southern California.

The Razorbacks are losing the face of their program. The heart and soul of a revitalization project that returned the Hogs to national relevance. A fitting figurehead for the us-against-the-world mentality so many Arkansas fans identify with.

Musselman was not for everyone, but he was exactly what the Razorbacks needed when he was hired on April 7, 2019. Together, Arkansas and Musselman won 62.3% of their games and reached the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament three times. They played in a pair of Elite 8's, and three-straight trips to the Sweet 16 marked the best three-year run for the program since 1994-96.

And still, it ended in a flash.

Musselman has never been shy about flirting with coaching vacancies, and Arkansas fans lost their patience after a losing season and a roster being stripped to pieces. The best high school recruits are all leaving Arkansas, while in-state talents like Davonte Davis and Layden Blocker have entered the transfer portal. There are just two players remaining from the 2023-24 team.

All of those factors contributed this surprising ending where both sides appear ready for a fresh start. Musselman returns to a comfort zone in Southern California, and Arkansas can look for a head coach who will treat Fayetteville as a destination job, not a stepping stone.

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The job has all the ingredients for long-term success, with a combination of history and recent success in one of the country's best conferences. Musselman was one of the top paid coaches in the country. There will be a giant pool of coaches interested in the opening, with Chris Beard at Ole Miss and McNeese State's Will Wade tabbed as two of the early favorites.

But it remains to be seen if Arkansas truly is one of the elite jobs in college basketball. That's the challenge ahead for athletic director Hunter Yurachek — who had his own social media drama in recent weeks — and whoever is hired to replace Musselman.

Prior to Musselman, the Hogs' most recent appearance coming in the Elite 8 was 1995. Stan Heath, John Pelphrey and Mike Anderson all had good seasons with no NCAA Tournament breakthrough. Musselman is closer in stature to the legendary Nolan Richardson than his trio of predecessors.

Arkansas needed Musselman, and he delivered a memorable run. Now, the Razorbacks must prove the program can be just as successful in his departure.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Eric Musselman's gone, and Arkansas basketball now searches for long-term leader