Reports: Tarleton State's Billy Gillispie on leave amid probe

Field Level Media|published: Fri 3rd October, 12:07 2025

Head coach Billy Gillispie yells to players as the New Mexico State Aggies face off against the Tarleton State Texans at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. Nmsu Tsu 16

Tarleton State coach Billy Gillispie is on temporary administrative leave as the school investigates an anonymous complaint, the university announced Friday.

No details were provided about the complaint against Gillispie, who previously coached at Kentucky, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and UTEP.

Officials at Tarleton State, a member of the Western Athletic Conference located in Stephenville, Texas, said there will be no further comment on the situation.

Associate head coach Glynn Cyprien takes over as the acting head coach of the Texans, who are scheduled to open the regular season on Nov. 3 at SMU.

Gillispie, 65, has come under fire for his coaching style before. In September 2012, he resigned after one season at Texas Tech due to health concerns -- after facing allegations of player mistreatment.

He was fired after two winning seasons at Kentucky (2007-09), with the Wildcats' athletic director saying he "wasn't the right fit for the program."

Gillispie has compiled a 78-74 record since joining Tarleton State in 2020-21. He led the Texans to a 25-10 mark in 2023-24 but slipped to 12-20 last season.

Overall, he is 226-182 across 13 seasons at UTEP (2002-04), Texas A&M (2004-07), Kentucky, Texas Tech (2011-12) and Tarleton State. His teams have reached the NCAA Tournament four times.

--Field Level Media