Hurley considered resigning after last season: 'I was completely cooked'

UConn head coach Dan Hurley considered stepping down after the 2024-25 campaign due to the emotional toll of pursuing a third straight national championship.

"I thought about leaving. Taking a gap year. Resigning as head coach of the UConn Huskies," Hurley wrote in his new book, "Never Stop: Life, Leadership, and What It Takes To Be Great," per The Athletic's Andrew Marchand.

"I knew my mind, and I knew my body, and I could feel that I was completely cooked," Hurley added. "Just burnt. I didn’t even know how I was standing. I stared at the office walls, muttering, conducting a brutal review of our season.

"I didn't build a strong enough roster. I wasn't a good leader. I let everyone down in Maui. I lost control, emotionally, at various points. I came in here some days sad and defeated, when I needed to be positive and inspiring."

Hurley had "very preliminary talks" with Fox Sports about becoming a television analyst, Marchand reports, citing sources.

The 52-year-old Hurley grew frustrated with coaching in the transfer portal and NIL era. He said he spoke to ex-Villanova head coach Jay Wright the previous summer after the latter had transitioned to an analyst role with CBS and TNT Sports.

Hurley says Wright was enjoying his post-coaching career and not "sick to his stomach nine months of the year."

However, Hurley ultimately decided to return for an eighth season with UConn.

"I cherish my job, my players, our school, our fans, and our boosters," Hurley wrote. "I've got the very best job in the country with the very best program in college basketball over the last quarter century. All of that is hand-on-the-Bible true.

"But what's also true is the massive toll that coaching takes on you and your family. The whole thing is exhausting. The seasons are excruciating even when they are going great."

The Huskies re-established themselves among the country's top programs with Hurley at the helm.

UConn captured the 2024 Big East regular-season crown and conference tournament en route to becoming the first school since Florida in 2007 to win back-to-back national championships. The Huskies lost to Florida in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Hurley holds a 165-59 record during his Huskies tenure. He won Naismith and Big East Coach of the Year honors in 2024.