College basketball coaching carousel tracker 2026: We're up to almost 50 job changes; NC State, BC spoken for

We are up to 47 coaching changes, 38 of which have had those jobs filled. All swaps are detailed below. 

The past four years worth of college coaching turnover have each had high volumes of traffic and higher quotients of craziness. Can 2026 outdo them all? It's got a chance.

Since this page last got a huge makeover heading into the Sweet 16, we've seen: Will Wade flake (from NC State to LSU); Wade get replaced by a Wolfpack alum getting his first head-coaching opportunity (Justin Gainey); a home run hiring at Boston College (Luke Murray); and a really good mid-major job find its guy (Ben Jacobson leaving Northern Iowa for Utah State).

When this story first published back at the start of March, I mused that we might hit 50 openings in this year's cycle. On the cusp of April, we're very close to that number and it feels inevitable that we'll get there.

As we ready for an outstanding Final Four, there are still two huge coaching storylines dangling above the festivities in Indianapolis.

1. Who is going to be the next coach at North Carolina? We're going to wait more than another week, at least. I'm told Tommy Lloyd is the top candidate, but it's unclear at this point how seriously he'd consider leaving Arizona — especially since he's taking the program to the national semifinals as is. Dusty May is No. 2, but why can't the Michigan job in the late 2020s be just as good, if not better, than UNC? What is UNC in the NIL/portal era, and does it have enough separation to justify leaving two huge institutions with national title banners hanging from the rafters? 

These are the questions those two will be asking themselves privately as they prepare for career-defining games later this week.

2. Is Bill Self going to retire? I've received conflicting signals on that. If he does leave coaching, Kansas opening alongside North Carolina would be a double earthquake in the sport. It would also invoke the likes of Nate Oats, Todd Golden, TJ Otzelberger, Grant McCasland and Ben McCollum into the conversation for one of the most coveted jobs in all of college sports.

Self returning to Kansas would really be a load off from a news cycle perspective, but the most important thing there is his health. If he's feeling good enough, Self told me earlier this month he'd be back. Things are sort of quiet right now, but that won't last long.

Here are some of our high-major carousel headlines from March:

»Justin Gainey returns to his alma mater in Raleigh
»Luke Murray will lead BC after the Final Four
»The deep-dive story on Hubert Davis' firing
»Brad Stevens was quick to shoot down Carolina
»Ronald Nored is next up at Butler
»Jerrod Calhoun's homecoming at Cincy
»Changing of the guard at Creighton
»G-Mac back to Cuse
»Bryan Hodgson hired at Providence
»Jeff Capel will be back for Year 9 at Pitt

If you're interested in keeping up with the scuttlebutt, check back in frequently and be sure to follow me on social media to get the news as it happens in real time with additional intel. 

HIGH-MAJORS

ARIZONA STATE | OUT: Bobby Hurley »» IN: Randy Bennett
Hurley leaves with the second-most wins in program history. Credit to ASU athletic director Graham Rossini for landing the best possible replacement. Bennett was the target of multiple previous searches and turned down the job. Now he's going to make a run in his 60s and see if he can get the Sun Devils to consistently compete in the top half of the Big 12. That's a real jolt for this program. He'll have to do more with less, which is nothing new after the wizard work he guided for 25 years at Saint Mary's, where he went 589-228, including 12 NCAA Tournament teams, five of which came in the past five seasons. 

BUTLER | OUT: Thad Matta »» IN: Ronald Nored
Matta retired after a four-year, 63-69 go of it with the Bulldogs. The news was all the more surprising considering that Butler athletic director Grant Leiendecker publicly said Matta would be back for a fifth season. Ultimately, it's probably the right move. Nored represents the latest hire in a link of Butler-family head-coaching moves. He's young but he's sharp. Can he bump them up in the Big East? I'm told Butler should have close to $9 million in NIL in Nored's first season.

BOSTON COLLEGE | OUT: Earl Grant »» IN: Luke Murray
There are 79 jobs in the Power Five leagues, and Boston College, unfortunately and unquestionably, ranks in the bottom five. Grant couldn't win there, but this is an institutional problem as much as anything else. Minimal fan support, bottom of the league in NIL capability, and the basketball there ranks below football and hockey in the priority order. Murray was the best candidate possible, but this is going to be a huge task in his first chance at running a program. Fascinated to see what he can do after being such an integral part of Connecticut's success the past four seasons.

CINCINNATI | OUT: Wes Miller »» IN: Jerrod Calhoun
The Bearcats had to make a change after going five straight seasons without an NCAA bid, even if Miller's teams came close three times. Miller wound up doing just fine by shooting off to Charlotte. Jerrod Calhoun (Utah State) is an alum and was the top target from Day 1. Bearcats fans have some hope again, and fortunately for them, the program should be at or north of $8 million to spend on a roster for 2026-27. That's not upper tier for this cycle, but it is manageable and can be competitive. 

CREIGHTON | OUT: Greg McDermott »» IN: Alan Huss
The 61-year-old McDermott leaves as the most accomplished coach in program history. In addition to overseeing Creighton's valuable upgrade from the Missouri Valley to the Big East in the early 2010s, he coached 11 NCAA Tournament-level teams at Creighton and made two Sweet 16s (2021, 2024) along with an Elite Eight (2023). McDermott went 365-188 at Creighton, and when factoring in his time as coach at North Dakota State, Northern Iowa and Iowa State, he's at 645-383 with 13 NCAA Tournament appearances. Huss was at High Point a year ago and left because he agreed to be coach-in-waiting when McDermott stepped away.

G. TECH | OUT: Damon Stoudamire »» IN: Scott Cross
Sources said the buyout for the 52-year-old Stoudamire was just $2.6 million, which made the decision that much easier after a 42-55 record in three seasons. This is a bottom-four job in the ACC (despite its terrific location) due to its lack of success over the past two decades, its relatively tough academic parameters and its limitations in NIL. Sources told me Tech will top out at $3.5 million in revenue sharing and maybe an additional $2 million after that. And yet, the 2026 portal market will likely mandate high-major teams to work with at least $6 million in order to be somewhat competitive. Cross comes by way of Troy.

KANSAS STATE | OUT: Jerome Tang »» IN: Casey Alexander
The first power conference job to hit the market in 2026, and it did so in a noisy fashion. Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor fired Tang for cause on Feb. 15. University lawyers and Tang's legal representation are in an ongoing legal dispute over the validity of a for-cause firing, which, if K-State were successful, would mean $0 owed to Tang. If fully unsuccessful, Tang has more than $18 million coming his way. I'm expecting a settlement with terms undisclosed. Alexander and K-State agreed to terms on March 12 after it was clear that Jerrod Calhoun wasn't going to leave Utah State for Manhattan, Kansas.

NORTH CAROLINA | OUT: Hubert Davis
UNC is waiting out the Final Four to see if either Tommy Lloyd or Dusty May would be willing to move. I think Billy Donovan's candidacy is more viable than some are framing. Here's a great column from our Chip Patterson on the state of UNC basketball. 

NC STATE | OUT: Will Wade »» IN: Justin Gainey
Too much turbulence here. All of this for a guy who went 20-14 and barely made it into the NCAA Tournament ... and then couldn't win a game in Dayton. Boo Corrigan surely must have hiring Wade near the top of his list of career regrets. He could've held Kevin Keatts for one more season and brought on Gainey this year anyway. The Tennessee assistant is an alumnus and figures to be a long-term guy in Raleigh. Stability is badly needed at NCSU.

PROVIDENCE | OUT: Kim English »» IN: Bryan Hodgson
PC finished 15-18 this season, and English was unable to get the school to the NCAAs in three seasons on the job. Hodgson agreed to a five-year contract after taking USF to the Dance. The Friars will be well-stocked; sources said the program will easily be north of $10 million in this year's portal cycle, which will be critical as Hodgson is expected to turn over almost the entire roster. PC bringing on the soon-to-be 39-year-old is a personality fit. He doesn't run from a battle and is a guy who loves to punch up. The Big East just got more interesting.

SYRACUSE | OUT: Adrian Autry »» IN: Gerry McNamara
Jim Boeheim's successor leaves with a 49-48 record and no NCAA Tournament showings. Siena coach/SU alum McNamara became the top target after some other wish-list candidates wouldn't go to the altar. Plus: Siena almost upset Duke in the first round. This is a pivotal hiring. As one Syracuse-connected source told me: "If this hire doesn't go well, [Syracuse] could become a one step above a mid-major." The program's outlook after Boeheim feels tenuous, though the fan base is passionate and thirsty to get back to relevance. McNamara has a huge task on his hands, but his love for the school is undeniable. I'm told Syracuse is hopeful it can raise more than $9 million total in NIL budgeting for the 2026-27 season.

MID-MAJORS

AIR FORCE | OUT: Joe Scott »» IN: Joe Crispin 
Scott had two runs at Air Force, the first from 1999-2004, the second from 2020 until earlier this year, when Scott was put on leave in January amid an investigation into his treatment of players. That ultimately led to a severance between he and the school, though the two sides ended things amicably with kind words when the split was made official on Feb. 26. A military academy program in the Mountain West, Air Force easily ranks among the 10 toughest jobs in all of college hoops. Crispin, 46, will leave Penn State as an assistant to take on his first head coaching opportunity. 

AKRON | OUT: John Groce »» IN: Dustin Ford
The 54-year-old with almost exclusive Midwest ties is leaving northern Ohio for the hip appeal of Charleston. He's also leaving arguably the best job in his league for the best job in another. Ford is an in-house promotion after spending the last nine seasons working for Groce and was previously with him at Ohio. A lot of turnover in the MAC this year.

ALABAMA STATE | OUT: Tony Madlock
The coach of the Hornets left his job to go back to his alma mater and try to help Penny Hardaway keep his heading into Year 9. Madlock took ASU to the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

BALL STATE | OUT: Mike Lewis »» IN: Chris Capko
The Cardinals had Lewis in charge for four seasons, but the last three were all under .500. With this year's team going 12-19, rumors bubbled up in late January that the job would come up. Lewis, a former UCLA assistant under Mick Cronin, went 61-64 in the MAC. The team hasn't made the NCAAs since 2000 under Ray McCallum. Capko comes aboard after years of working under Andy Enfield at USC and SMU.

BELMONT | OUT: Casey Alexander »» IN: Evan Bradds
Alexander was anxious to leave after more than proving his value over the past seven seasons in Nashville. He tallied a 166-60 record with the Bruins, continuing the impressive legacy built out by his former coach and mentor Rick Byrd. Bradds spent this past season at Duke after cutting his teeth in the NBA with the Jazz and Celtics. At 31, he'll likely be the youngest D-I coach next season. Bradds played at Belmont from 2013-17 and was a terrific mid-major scorer, winning OVC Player of the Year as a junior and senior. 

CAL BAPTIST | OUT: Rick Croy
The CBU job is somewhat surprisingly open, as Croy is opting to return to his old boss: He was previously an assistant for Randy Bennett and will again work under him with Bennett's new gig at Arizona State. Croy was at CBU since 2018 and just won the WAC in its final season of existence.

CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD | OUT: Rod Barnes »» IN: Todd Lee
Barnes was fired last September after 14 years at Bakersfield, and the reason is jaw-dropping: One of his former assistants was federally charged for allegations of pimping, among other heinous illegal activities. There have also been changes in leadership in the athletic department and this is a cash-strapped job that's extremely difficult. Lee, who's coached for more than three decades, spent recent seasons on Eric Musselman's staff but was also an assistant at Bakersfield in the '90s.

CHARLESTON | OUT: Chris Mack »» IN: John Groce
A semi-stunner in the CAA, as Mack scooted to South Florida after his name didn't surface at all behind the scenes in that search. He leaves behind by far the best NIL situation (and living location) in the CAA. Groce is 377-225 for his career and will adapt to a new climate after being a Midwest mainstay (Ohio, Illinois, Akron) for decades.

CHARLOTTE | OUT: Aaron Fearne »» IN: Wes Miller
The 49ers made the move after three years with Fearne, who went 17-17 this season and 47-51 overall. The school has some solid financial backing for NIL moving forward, thanks to some investments by local billionaire Ric Elias. Miller lands on his feet in what's a best-case scenario after not making it to Year 6 with Cincinnati. If he can be as effective at Charlotte as he was at UNCG for a decade (185-135), he should end the school's two-decade-plus NCAA tourney drought. This feels like a proper bounce-back opportunity. 

DARTMOUTH | OUT: Dave McLaughlin »» IN: Brett MacConnell
The school did not renew McLaughlin's contract. The Big Green job is almost universally considered the toughest in the eight-school Ivy League, but landing MacConnell might get the Big Green eventually out of the doldrums. The former Princeton and Stanford assistant is in his mid-30s and will have an opportunity to make a name for himself in the next few years.

EASTERN MICHIGAN | OUT: Stan Heath »» IN: Billy Donlon
The Eagles are starting over after five years under Heath. EMU was 57-98 the last five seasons and only finished .500 once, both overall and in the MAC (in 2024-25). The location is good for a MAC program (less than 15 minutes from Michigan's campus, in fact), but the resources are at the bottom half of the league. That will need to change. Donlon is an assistant at Clemson and has a 155-133 record at Wright State and Kansas City.

FIU | OUT: Jeremy Ballard »» IN: Joey Cantens
Ballard was sacked after his eighth season on the job. The CUSA program had winning seasons in Ballard's first two years but averaged 12 wins over the last six. Cantens came from behind to land the gig over some sitting high-major assistants. His teams went 109-21 in-state at Daytona State College in the D-II ranks. The 39-year-old is a local who grew up in Miami.

GEORGIA STATE | OUT: Jonas Hayes
Hayes lasted four seasons and leaves Atlanta with a 48-79 record at the Sun Belt-based program. The school will still draw in some promising mid-major candidates because of its location and potential in that league. A few candidates have already turned down the job, per sources.

JACKSON STATE | OUT: Mo Williams
The former NBA player is leaving after four seasons in Mississippi and joining Mark Pope's staff at Kentucky. Williams, 43, was a featured player on the Cleveland Cavaliers team that won the 2016 NBA championship and has a son, Mason, who committed to Kentucky.

KANSAS CITY | OUT: Marvin Menzies »» IN: Mark Turgeon
A huge get for the Roos, who have pulled off a rarity: A school with zero NCAA Tournament appearances hired a coach with at least 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, at least 15 years of experience in high-major coaching and at least 450 wins. The only other instance of this that I can recall where that exact scenario applied is when High Point hired Tubby Smith in 2018, but he was an alum. Turgeon played at Kansas and therefore has some semi-local ties. He heads to the Summit League with a healthy boost in NIL support, determined not to let his rickety exit from Maryland in 2021 be the end of his story. 

LAMAR | OUT: Alvin Brooks »» IN: Jordan Fee
Fee? Hit the Phish. Lamar is hiring the FAU assistant with a really good rep as an up-and-comer who's had previous success at some non-D1 spots. Could be one of the best mid-major gets of this cycle. Brooks went 62-95 across five seasons in the Southland. This season's team went 12-19 overall. The Cardinals last made the NCAA Tournament in 2012 under Pat Knight. 

LITTLE ROCK | OUT: Darrell Walker »» IN: Travis Ford
Walker's team went 12-20 this season and finished seventh in the OVC. He leaves after eight seasons and with a 113-133 record. If you followed the tracker, you saw I had Ford's name as the frontrunner basically from the start. The process was a little clunky and took a scenic route to getting there, but Little Rock brings on a guy with 20-plus seasons as a head coach and almost 500 wins. Ford was most recently at Saint Louis but also Oklahoma State and UMass prior to that.

UL MONROE | OUT: Phil Cunningham »» IN: Ryan Cross
A one-and-done in the Sun Belt. Cunningham was the head coach this past season after serving as an assistant the year prior. The team went 4-28, ranking 350th at KenPom. The bad record, combined with the school switching ADs in the past five months, led to the change. Cross is a former assistant (2012-20) who spent the past two seasons at UAB.

NORTH FLORIDA | OUT: Matt Driscoll »» IN: Bobby Kennen
This job had been open dating back to last May, when Driscoll left after 16 seasons to be Jerome Tang's top assistant at Kansas State. Now Driscoll is wrapping up a disappointing season in Manhattan, Kansas, in the wake of Tang's mid-February firing. At UNF, the Ospreys struggled under Kennen; the team went 7-24 this season. Nevertheless, he's got the full-time gig. UNF's been a D-I program for two decades, with its lone NCAA Tournament trip coming in 2015 under Driscoll. 

N. ILLINOIS | OUT: Rashon Burno »» IN: Matt Majkrzak 
Burno bounced after five seasons, all of them under .500. This year's team finished 9-21 and 319th at KenPom at the time of Burno's (expected) resignation. He went 48-106 in one of the toughest jobs in the MAC. As was previously noted in this here capsule, Majkrzak was a leading candidate from the onset. The 35-year-old had a 136-73 record in seven seasons at Northern Michigan in Division II.

NORTHERN IOWA | OUT: Ben Jacobson
A small wow, as Jacobson is leaving after 20 years in Cedar Falls and five NCAA Tournament trips. Every indication at this point is that UNI will soon promote from within and give the job to former Panther player Seth Tuttle.

OREGON STATE | OUT: Wayne Tinkle »» IN: Justin Joyner
For Tinkle, the high point was the unexpected run to the Elite Eight in the 2021 COVID NCAA tourney, when the Beavers won three games as a 12-seed after earning the auto bid by winning the Pac-12 Tournament. Joyner is a fresh new face and represents an optimistic new start for the Beavers as the Pac-12 rebirth will commence later this year. Joyner is on a five-year contract and will try to compete in the league with the likes of Gonzaga, Boise State, San Diego State and Utah State.

PEPPERDINE | OUT: Ed Schilling »» IN: Griff Aldrich
Two-and-through for Schilling, who was a surprising hire in 2024. The Waves went 22-45 the past two seasons and won just eight games in the WCC. Pepperdine famously has one of the most beautiful campuses in the country. Aldrich spent last season at Virginia, but was previously the coach at Longwood. Interesting hire for a school that hasn't been good in more than two decades.

SAN DIEGO | OUT: Steve Lavin »» IN: JR Blount
The 61-year-old Lavin couldn't bring the program to consistency in the Gonzaga-dominated WCC. USD has not made the NCAAs since 2008 under Bill Grier. Athletic director Kimya Massey moved even more quickly than most expected when he brought on Blount, who's seen his reputation rise quickly the past two seasons at Iowa State. This was a competitive job opening. Blount is considered among the sharpest young defensive minds in high-major hoops, but beyond that, he has an outstanding reputation for his dedication to the job.

SAINT MARY'S | OUT: Randy Bennett »» IN: Mickey McConnell
After 25 years in Moraga, Bennett is finally taking a chance on himself and coaching at a power-conference program. He's not yet signed but is closing in on a five-year deal to be the coach at Arizona State. The plan was always to promote from within at SMC; McConnell, 36, is one of the better players in program history and has been on staff since 2019.

SIENA | OUT: Gerry McNamara
A one-and-done year for McNamara, who had everything break just right in order for him to go back to Syracuse and try to restore the luster at a program facing an uncertain crossroads. McNamara's Saints team nearly toppling 1-seed Duke in the tourney made his hiring that much easier to sell to a fan base that has loved him for 23 years and counting. The search for his replacement has been a bit bumpy.

TROY | OUT: Scott Cross »» IN: Adam Howard
After seven seasons, Cross leaves for Georgia Tech. The Trojans are coming off back-to-back tournament runs. The Sun Belt program is taking a flier on Howard, who was with Will Wade and is a former assistant at Troy who's also worked all over the country. 

USF | OUT: Bryan Hodgson »» IN: Chris Mack
With Hodgson's expected move to Providence, USF will be the only team in the sport to have five coaches in a five-year span. In 2022-23, Brian Gregory was in charge and got fired. Amir Abdur-Rahim took over, revived the program, then tragically died in October 2024, weeks before his second season was set to begin. Ben Fletcher was the interim in 2024-25, and then Hodgson got the job. Next up? Chris Mack. A stealth job switch from Charleston for the former Louisville and Xavier coach. He'll be well-stocked to keep it rolling in Tampa. Mack has the most wins (323) of any inbound USF coach at the time of their hiring in program history.

ST. BONAVENTURE | OUT: Mark Schmidt »» IN: Mike MacDonald
Schmidt, 63, leaves the profession with a terrific reputation. Bonaventure is an extremely tough job, yet he won 339 games, the most in program history, and captured four combined conference titles. MacDonald worked at the D-II  level (Daemen College) and went 61-3 the past two seasons. He's a 1988 alum of Bonaventure with a very good reputation for his X-and-O ability and wide swath of experience across all three levels in Divisions I, II and III.

TARLETON STATE | OUT: Billy Gillispie »» IN: Eric Haut
Gillispie oversaw Tarleton State's transition into Division I, with the high point being a 25-10 season in 2023-24. The WAC-based school went 92-90 in six years at the D-I level under Gillispie. The university, based in Stephenville, Texas, is about 70 miles southwest of Fort Worth. He's been a valuable assistant at Utah State, Northern Kentucky and Kent State. Was due for a shot at running his own show.

TENNESSEE TECH | OUT: John Pelphrey »» IN: Tobin Anderson
Pelphrey lasted seven years in the Ohio Valley and went 79–138 at what is obviously a very hard job with limited resources. TTU last won the regular-season title in the OVC in 2005, but it landed the best guy possible. Anderson famously coached FDU to a 16-over-1 upset of Purdue in the 2023 NCAAs. He potentially could've gotten a bigger job this cycle. Big coup for this school.

UNCG | OUT: Mike Jones »» IN: Jerod Haase
Something of a surprise here, as Jones went 93-69 and didn't get his contract extended. The Spartans went 15-19 this season, the only one of Jones' five that didn't end above .500. The job is considered in the top third in the SoCon. Haase got the job after two years away from coaching. He's 206-180 at UAB and Stanford. The Carolina connection was big in getting him the gig.

UTAH STATE | OUT: Jerrod Calhoun »» IN: Ben Jacobson
The Aggies are on their fifth coach in seven years, but I like their chances of not having to make a switch until at least the 2030s. Jacobson was exceedingly loyal at UNI and has a good chance at keeping Utah State in the mix as it's part of the posse that is leaving the Mountain West for the new version of the Pac-12. Jacobson is 55 and has won 397 games.

UTRGV | OUT: Kahil Fennel
Tough loss for the Vaqueros, who had Fennel for two seasons but did not have the resources to keep a quality up-and-coming coach around for Year 3. The Southland program will plumb the depths to see if it can land an assistant at a power conference school.

WAGNER | OUT: Donald Copeland (?)
Wagner was coached by interim Dwan McMillan since the start of the season after Copeland was put on indefinite leave amid a school investigation into alleged abusive coaching tactics, including withholding water breaks during practice. One former player went on record with the New York Post last fall to confirm the allegations, but the school has yet to fire Copeland, who is still listed on the team's website. The Seahawks went 14-17 and lost in the NEC semis to LIU. 

WEBER STATE | OUT: Eric Duft
We have a Brad Stevens-esque transition in the Big Sky. Duft has been with the program for two decades, but he's not being fired. He's going into the athletic department with a title of President of Basketball Operations and Development for the men's basketball program. He'll be working with Damian Lillard, who's labeled as Weber State's GM, to get the Wildcats to a better spot, roster-wise, for the next coach. Duft was the head coach for the past four years.

WESTERN MICHIGAN | OUT: Dwayne Stephens »» IN: Kahil Fennel
The former Michigan State assistant lasted four seasons in Kalamazoo, going 42-84. The Broncos came extremely close to ending Miami University's undefeated run on Feb. 27 before falling in the final second, 69-67. The school last made the NCAAs in 2014. Fennel, 43, arrives via UTRGV, where he went 35-29 the past two seasons. A pretty solid get at a place with enough to be a player in the MAC in the next two years.