After firing former head coach Johnnie Harris at the end of the 2024-2025 season, Auburn has found its new women’s basketball coach.

Larry Vickers will be the next coach to lead the program, with the school announcing his hiring on Sunday. Vickers is now the fifth head coach in Auburn women’s basketball history, coming to the Plains from Norfolk State.

He took the Spartans to the last three NCAA tournaments in a row, improving the team’s tournament seeding each year. Vickers led Norfolk State to an 83-17 record since 2022 and holds a 174-91 record in his nine seasons as head coach.

“Throughout the search process, one name continually rose to the top – Larry Vickers,” Auburn athletic director John Cohen said in a release. “Coach Vickers has an incredible technical understanding of women’s basketball. He demands excellence from his student-athletes, while fostering an environment for young women to succeed. His understanding of the new landscape of college athletics is impressive. No one has worked harder for an opportunity like this than Coach Vickers.”

One of his 30 wins in the 2024-2025 season came against Auburn on Dec. 29. That win started a 19-game win streak that didn’t end until the Spartans lost to four-seed Maryland in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

“I want to thank President Roberts, John Cohen and the entire search committee for this incredible opportunity to lead the Auburn women’s basketball program,” Vickers said in the release. “Auburn is a great institution with one of the best athletics programs in the country. I am excited to get to work and help bring championship level success to our women’s basketball program. War Eagle!”

Prior to becoming Norfolk State’s women’s basketball head coach, Vickers spent eight seasons with the Spartans’ men’s program, working as associate head coach for the final three.

He’ll inherit an Auburn roster already down a number of key players from last season, including leading scorer DeYona Gaston, who’s out of eligibility, and high-scoring guard Taliah Scott, who entered the transfer portal following Harris’ departure.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m