From ESPN

Former Utah coach and current ESPN analyst Rick Majerus has accepted the head coaching position at Saint Louis and will be introduced at a Monday news conference, Majerus told ESPN.com Friday.

Majerus

Majerus said he will sign the contract Saturday. Majerus has been at ESPN as a game and studio analyst the past three years. Majerus, consdidered one of the top basketball minds, coached the Utes to the 1998 national title game.

Majerus was the only candidate the Billikens interviewed to replace Brad Soderberg, who was fired two weeks ago after his inability to get the Billikens to the NCAA Tournament in five seasons.

“I’m excited to get back into coaching,” Majerus said. “This is a great opportunity. I’m going to bust my tail and we’ll see how it goes.”

Saint Louis, which plays in the Atlantic 10, is going to open a new $80.5 million arena on campus in two seasons. SLU is simliar to Majerus’ alma mater Marquette where he played and coached.

Majerus’ hiring is a home run for the school, which was criticized for the timing of Soderberg’s firing.

“Rick wrestled with this decision all week,” his agent Sandy Montag of IMG said. “He’ll miss ESPN. He really loved the people at ESPN. This was an emotional decision. He made the final decision Thursday night. This keeps him close to his mother in Milwaukee and that is very important to him.”

The contract will be close to five years for close to $1 million a year.