The 2026 men’s college basketball coaching carousel has kicked into high gear, with more than 20 jobs already announcing changes — including four 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.
Latest on openings
Boston College Eagles
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 darkhorse name also in the mix: Tulsa’s Eric Konkol, who worked with BC athletic director Blake James at Miami.
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Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
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 and Appalachian State’s Dustin Kerns. Long Island Nets coach Mfon Udofia, who played at Tech, has been linked as well.
Kansas State Wildcats
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.
Providence Friars
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 Arizona State, 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.
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Arizona State seems certain to bid farewell to Bobby Hurley, whose contract is up after the season and whose departure has been the expected outcome for nearly a year. Pittsburgh is not as definitive as Arizona State, although signs 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.
Syracuse lost to SMU for a first-round ACC tournament exit on Tuesday, likely ending the Red Autry era in upstate New York. The one mitigating factor in terms of a decision timeline is the ongoing athletic director search — Nick Carparelli is considered the favorite for the position; a decision is expected soon. It’s also worth noting that outgoing athletic director John Wildhack is likely to be involved in the preliminary stages of the search.
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
Michigan assistant Justin Joyner is the heavy favorite at Oregon State.
Top candidates at St. Bonaventure include Daemen College coach Mike MacDonald and Washington Wizards assistant coach David Vanterpool — both former Bonnies.
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.
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.
New Mexico State’s Jason Hooten has been among the names swirling around for the Tarleton State vacancy.
Among the names involved for the UNC Greensboro Spartans job is former Stanford head coach Jerod Haase.
