Wayne Tinkle is out at Oregon State after the 2025-26 season, with athletic director Scott Barnes confirming on Feb. 26 the program is making a leadership change. The immediate question is whether Tinkle will finish the year on the bench.
Veteran columnist John Canzano reported earlier in the day that Barnes met with Tinkle and the sides agreed to separate after the season, with Tinkle offered the option to coach through the finish.
Key Points
-
Oregon State confirms Wayne Tinkle will not return after 2025-26.
-
Scott Barnes met with Tinkle Thursday, per John Canzano.
-
Tinkle was offered the option to finish the season (decision pending).
Wayne Tinkle Oregon State decision: What did Scott Barnes say?
Oregon Stateâs official release leaves no ambiguity about the direction: Barnes announced Thursday that the school is parting ways with Tinkle.
Canzanoâs report adds the key wrinkle that matters in the short term: Tinkle was given the choice to finish the season on the bench, and as of Thursday he had not made a final decision.
If youâre looking for the âwhy now,â itâs twofold:
- The Beavers are at the finish line of the regular season, so the timing limits disruption.
- Oregon State can start laying the groundwork for a coaching search in a college basketball landscape where roster decisions move fast once the season ends.
Canzano also reported Tinkleâs overall record at Oregon State (176-204 across 12 seasons), which frames how the program arrived at this point.
Will Wayne Tinkle coach Oregon Stateâs final games?
This is where the âfinish the seasonâ option becomes very real, very quickly.
Per Oregon Stateâs official schedule, the Beavers have one regular-season game left:
- Saturday, Feb. 28 â at Santa Clara
After that, Oregon State heads to the postseason:
- West Coast Conference Tournament, begins Thursday, March 5 (Las Vegas, Orleans Arena)
If Tinkle chooses to coach out the stretch, heâd potentially be on the sideline for the road finale at Santa Clara and then the WCC Tournament run, a short runway, but one with obvious stakes for players, seniors, and the staff.
What happens next in Oregon Stateâs coaching search and roster cycle?
Even if Oregon State waits to formally introduce the next coach, the calendar wonât wait.
Oregon Stateâs decision also lands with real weight because Tinkle did deliver some genuine high points in Corvallis. The signature moment was the 2021 run: the Beavers won the Pac-12 Tournament and rode that momentum all the way to the Elite Eight, beating Tennessee, Oklahoma State and Loyola Chicago along the way. Earlier in his tenure, Tinkle also coached Gary Payton II, who became a Pac-12 star and was named the leagueâs Defensive Player of the Year.
The NCAA recently changed Division I basketball transfer rules so the menâs portal window opens April 7 and runs through April 21 in 2026. That matters because the next head coach (and Oregon Stateâs roster) will be operating under a tighter, later âfree agencyâ window than in past years.
Also important: NCAA guidance around coaching-change-related transfer windows creates additional roster-management pressure when a program transitions to a new coach.
Bottom line: Oregon State has signaled itâs ready to turn the page, and the next few weeks will determine how cleanly the program gets from âdecision madeâ to ânext era started,â especially if Tinkle opts to step aside before the final games.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Oregon State to Part Ways With Wayne Tinkle After Season appeared first on Heavy Sports.