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Jeff Borzello
Multiple Authors
The 2026 men’s college basketball coaching carousel has kicked into high gear, with more than 20 jobs already announcing changes — including six power-conference positions.
Despite schools moving quickly at the ends of their respective seasons, an even larger contingent of programs at the low- and mid-major level have opted to stay the course with their embattled coaches.
Will that trend continue at the power-conference level?
That’s been the question for weeks among industry sources, with more jobs than usual hovering right around a 50-50 chance of turning into openings. As we’ll get into shortly, the rest of this week could determine how long the power-conference carousel spins this spring.
Whether it’s weeks or months, this will be your one-stop shop for the entire carousel — the latest news and buzz from around the country, primers on the big jobs as they open and analysis on all the dominoes that fall.
MARCH 11
It didn’t take Arizona State long to make a decision on coach Bobby Hurley’s future. Hours after the Sun Devils’ season-ending blowout loss to Iowa State in the Big 12 tournament, the school announced it wasn’t renewing or extending Hurley’s expiring contract and his 11-year tenure had come to an end. It was the expected outcome for most of the past year, with Arizona State missing the NCAA tournament in five of the last six seasons.
Where does the job stack up in the Big 12?
The Big 12 has established itself as a dominant basketball league, finishing as the No. 1 conference at KenPom in nine of the last 13 seasons, and ranking second in three of the other four. The conference routinely sends seven-plus teams to the NCAA tournament and three teams to the Sweet 16 on a regular basis.
Arizona State hasn’t been particularly competitive in recent years and would rank somewhere in the bottom-half of the conference’s head-coaching jobs. There’s been minimal recent success, reaching one Sweet 16 since 1975 — and that came in 1995. It’s been fighting an uphill battle since moving to the Big 12, although its commitment and resources on the football side provide some optimism if the Sun Devils can get it rolling on the hardwood. The location is appealing to plenty of candidates, too.
Who might be in the mix?
There are several directions athletic director Graham Rossini can go to replace Hurley. Two of the more prominent names that have consistently been mentioned over the last few weeks have been Saint Mary’s Randy Bennett and New Mexico’s Eric Olen.
Bennett is a Mesa, Arizona native who has built Saint Mary’s into one of the most successful programs on the West Coast over the last 25 years. The program has been to 11 NCAA tournaments in his tenure, and this should be the Gaels’ fifth straight year going to the Big Dance. He hasn’t previously shown much interest in leaving Saint Mary’s but Gonzaga’s departure from the WCC is a new wrinkle.
While the Lobos struggled down the stretch of Olen’s first regular season at the helm, he showed serious coaching chops at UC San Diego, including leading the Tritons to 30 wins and an NCAA tournament appearance last season. He also has a longstanding relationship with Rossini.
Could popular mid-major names Jerrod Calhoun from Utah State or Josh Schertz from Saint Louis be interested? What about a successful, veteran West Coast coach like UC Irvine’s Russell Turner or Grand Canyon’s Bryce Drew?
There are also a couple of wildcard names. Creighton’s Greg McDermott could be nearing his departure from the Bluejays, already naming Alan Huss as his head-coach-in-waiting last spring. McDermott has long enjoyed spending time in the Phoenix and Scottsdale area, so a move could be potentially appealing.
Then there’s UC Santa Barbara assistant Derek Glasser, who played at Arizona State and was a college and high school teammate of former Sun Devil star James Harden. Sources indicate it’s a longshot, but he’ll certainly have his backers.
Syracuse officially informed head coach Adrian Autry of his firing on Wednesday morning after a three-season run. Autry was the successor to Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim, who retired in 2023 after 47 years as the head coach of the Orange. A former Syracuse player under Boeheim, Autry spent 12 seasons as an assistant coach on Boeheim’s staff before taking over as head coach.
Who will hire the next coach?
Editor’s note: The following was written before ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Syracuse agreed to terms with Bryan Blair to become its next athletic director.
The firing was not a surprise — the only question was timing, which could also potentially impact the search for a new head coach. Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack announced his retirement last month and plans to leave the school on July 1. Syracuse has not officially announced his replacement yet, though college football Bowl Season executive director Nick Carparelli is considered the favorite. It has been understood that Wildhack would let Autry go, then the incoming athletic director would make the next hire, although sources told ESPN that Wildhack has been working behind the scenes on the preliminary stages of the search for a few weeks.
What’s the perception of the job?
Boeheim built Syracuse into one of the most consistent and prominent programs in college basketball over his five decades at the helm of the Orange. They went to five Final Fours, won the 2003 national championship and were a staple in the second weekend of the NCAA tournament. The March runs papered over the cracks of a program that didn’t finish better than sixth in the ACC in any of Boeheim’s last nine seasons, though, and finished 14th in two of Autry’s three seasons as head coach. They are not a ready-made contender anymore.
That said, the NIL structure has improved, and there were certainly enough resources to put together a talented roster with March expectations entering this season.
What names are worth monitoring?
Three current head coaches stand out: Siena’s Gerry McNamara, Saint Louis’ Josh Schertz and South Florida’s Bryan Hodgson.
McNamara is a Syracuse legend and was on Boeheim’s staff alongside Autry for 12 years before spending one season under Autry as his associate head coach. McNamara just led Siena to the MAAC tournament title and an NCAA tournament bid on Tuesday, taking the Saints to their first Big Dance since 2010. Siena went 4-28 the season before McNamara took over; just two years later, it won 23 games.
Schertz is arguably the most sought-after mid-major coach of the cycle, along with Utah State’s Jerrod Calhoun. Schertz built a stellar reputation for himself with multiple Division II Final Four appearances at Lincoln Memorial, then led Indiana State to 32 wins in 2023-24 and now has Saint Louis tracking toward the NCAA tournament this season.
Hodgson is an upstate New York native whose stock has risen dramatically over the past few years. He has won back-to-back regular-season titles the past two seasons, split the Sun Belt title and won 25 games at Arkansas State last season, then won the American in his first season at South Florida.
Another name to watch is UConn assistant Luke Murray, who has been part of two national-championship-winning staffs under Dan Hurley in Storrs. Murray has been credited with helping build UConn’s vaunted offensive system over the past few years.
More openings
There have been several names linked to this opening since Boston College fired Earl Grant last Friday. Merrimack’s Joe Gallo, Colgate’s Matt Langel, UConn assistant Luke Murray, Yale’s James Jones, Furman’s Bob Richey and Los Angeles Clippers assistant Jay Larranaga are rumored to be in consideration. One dark-horse name also in the mix: Tulsa’s Eric Konkol, who worked with BC athletic director Blake James at Miami.
With Damon Stoudamire out, Belmont’s Casey Alexander and Troy’s Scott Cross have the most perceived momentum for the opening at Tech. Alexander just guided the Bruins to the Missouri Valley regular-season title before losing in the conference tournament, while Cross has the Trojans going to back-to-back NCAA tournaments. Tech deputy AD Brent Jones also overlapped with Cross at Troy. Other names that have been mentioned include Furman’s Bob Richey, Tennessee assistant Justin Gainey, Appalachian State’s Dustin Kerns, former NC State coach Kevin Keatts and George Mason’s Tony Skinn. Long Island Nets coach Mfon Udofia, who played at Tech, has been linked as well.
With the mid-February firing of Jerome Tang, Kansas State is furthest along among the power-conference searches. Utah State’s Jerrod Calhoun is considered the favorite for the position — the Ohio native could opt to slow-play his decision and wait to see if the Cincinnati or Pittsburgh roles open and either program expresses interest. Belmont’s Casey Alexander and Creighton associate head coach Alan Huss are also involved. Northern Iowa’s Ben Jacobson is believed to be on the list as well.
Kim English’s ousting hasn’t been officially announced yet, though the administration has informed him he will not be returning next season. There have been a long list of names linked to this job in recent days, although Santa Clara’s Herb Sendek has been buzzing as a legitimate candidate. Clippers assistant Jay Larranaga, Utah State’s Jerrod Calhoun, South Florida’s Bryan Hodgson and Merrimack’s Joe Gallo have also been linked.
What’s next?
The rest of the week could be busy.
With Cincinnati and Pittsburgh winning in their respective conference tournament games on Tuesday, any potential decisions on their futures will have to wait at least another day.
While not definitive, signs at Pittsburgh point to the Panthers parting ways with Jeff Capel after eight seasons. He still has eight figures left on a fully-guaranteed deal, however, which makes the decision more complicated for athletic director Allen Greene. Wes Miller and Cincinnati surged onto the bubble down the stretch of the season — potentially saving his job in the process — but if the Bearcats fall short of the NCAA tournament, a change could be in store.
In addition to the above programs, another handful of schools with hot seat questions play on Wednesday: Memphis, Butler, LSU and Oklahoma. One could make the argument that none of those four programs ends up making a coaching change this spring. Things are trending toward Porter Moser getting another season at Oklahoma, although he could also look to make a move on his own before facing another year on the hot seat in 2026-27. Memphis and Butler are difficult to read, while Matt McMahon’s future at LSU is not quite solidified, either.
More chatter
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Michigan assistant Justin Joyner is the heavy favorite at Oregon State.
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Top candidates at St. Bonaventure include Daemen College coach Mike MacDonald and Washington Wizards assistant coach David Vanterpool — both former Bonnies.
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Little Rock is viewed as a desirable job, with the likes of Southeast Missouri’s Brad Korn, former Saint Louis head coach Travis Ford and DePaul assistant Bryan Mullins all linked to the position.
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UL Monroe let go of Phil Cunningham after just one season with the Warhawks defeating only two Division I teams. UAB assistant Ryan Cross and Chipola College coach Donnie Tyndall have the most buzz here.
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New Mexico State’s Jason Hooten has been among the names swirling around for the Tarleton State vacancy.
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Among the names involved for the UNC Greensboro Spartans job is former Stanford head coach Jerod Haase.
