College basketball coaching carousel: 25 coaches, high-major assistants to know in 2026 cycle

As we prepare for postseason hoops, there’s also the other kind of madness ready to wreak havoc. The coaching carousel will lead to expensive and expansive job changes across the country. 

As we speak, athletic directors, search firms, agents and the coaches themselves are preparing for a frenzied next few weeks, when potentially 50-plus jobs will flip across college basketball.

Who are the names to know? I’ve got 25 for you below, head coaches and high-profile assistants, but of course, this list is far from complete. More names are guaranteed to emerge in short order. And plenty of the coaches you’ll read about here will flirt with moving but ultimately not wind up staying put. What’s assured is that a healthy portion of the names on this list will get their opportunities and make a jump. And that’s before taking into account some former coaches — names like Kevin Keatts, Rodney Terry, Tom Crean and Travis Ford — who I’ve been told are very open to job opportunities in this year’s cycle. 

As we ready for the carousel to really pick up steam in the next week (you can read my roster of hot-seat situations here), here are a variety of names to know at the high- and mid-major level. 

15 head coaches gaining momentum

Far from a complete list, but here’s a reliable roster of guys who have already received calls from search firms and athletic directors who have led their teams to standout seasons in 2025-26. You’ll notice these are all mid-major coaches, and that’s with good reason. There’s minimal expectation over high-major coaches moving from one power conference to another this year, especially after the last few seasons of volatile turnover at most of the biggest jobs. Coaches are listed in alphabetical order. 

Casey Alexander (Belmont). The 53-year-old Bruins head coach has run the program for the past seven seasons and claims more than 300 career wins from his time at Stetson, Lipscomb and Belmont. The Bruins are 26-5 entering the MVC Tournament and a legitimate Cinderella candidate because Alexander learned at the feet of the great Rick Byrd and runs great stuff. Alexander is guaranteed to receive interest from high-major programs. In fact, he already has: Kansas State has him on its dwindling list of candidates, sources told CBS Sports. Feels like this year can be his time to move up.

Randy Bennett (Saint Mary’s). The guy just absolutely refused to leave Saint Mary’s despite being one of the best mid-major coaches ever, and I can only respect the decision. That said, I’m still compelled to list him here again because Arizona State is expected to open, and Bennett has turned the job down multiple times before. If not this year, it’s never happening. Bennett is 63 and has a 589-226 record and is about to coach SMC in the NCAAs for the 12th time. Truly goes to the beat of his own drum.

Matt Braeuer (Stephen F. Austin). If you don’t know the name, that’s understandable: He’s been at SFA for less than a year. But the Lumberjacks are 27-4 and just tore through the Southland. If he keeps this up, the former Grant McCasland assistant won’t be long for sticking around in Nacogdoches, Texas.

Jarrod Calhoun (Utah State). Big name in this year’s cycle. Kansas State has legitimate interest; Calhoun may well be the favorite for that gig at this point. But Calhoun was previously at Youngstown State, has ties to Bob Huggins, and so there is speculation that Cincinnati and/or Pitt could be his desired jump spot at the high-major level, which makes the timing of K-State’s courtship all the more interesting. Utah State, for better or worse, has become one of the ultimate trampoline jobs in the sport. It’s not a foregone conclusion that Calhoun goes, but the 44-year-old’s going to log 50-plus wins and two straight NCAA tourney trips in his time with USU. I’m presuming he bumps up.

Joe Gallo (Merrimack). The MAAC ran through the ‘Mack this year, as Gallo’s team went 17-3 and won the league by three games. The 46-year-old oversaw the program’s transition into D-I back in 2019-20 and has maintained a high standard. Boston College is expected to open and to seriously consider Gallo as a contender for the job. 

>>MORE COACHING NEWS: Norlander’s coaching tracker gets daily March updates here

John Groce (Akron). I can make the argument that Groce is right where he should be, as the failed run at Illinois got sandwiched between a really nice tenure at Ohio and now these nine years of terrific ball at Akron. Miami University has the undefeated record, but fellow MAC mate Akron is 25-5 and has rated as the best team in the league in predictive metrics all season long. Groce has coached seven NCAA tourney-level teams in his time. Gotta knock on his door and see if he’s open to trying the bigger stage once more.

Bryan Hodgson (South Florida). An immediate hit in the American, Hodgson’s Bulls are one win away from winning a league title in Year 1. He also won 45 games in two seasons at Arkansas State, so his win-loss record is nearly as good as anyone with four or fewer years of experience at the mid-major level. The school most heavily connected to Hodgson on the rumor mill at this point is Syracuse, which is expected to open. Hodgson has ties to western New York. We’ll see where that goes in the coming weeks.   

James Jones (Yale). One of the most bizarrely underrated head coaches in college basketball. He’s been at Yale since 1999, has 440 wins and coached an NCAA Tournament-level team six times in the past 10 seasons. And Jones is probably about to have another team go dancing in 2026, provided Yale doesn’t get picked off in the Ivy tournament. In the past 10 years, Yale’s won 21 games on average per season and, even better, should win 25 this year. One of the best coaches in league history and still has plenty in the tank.

Ritchie McKay (Liberty). One of the five winningest mid-major coaches of the past decade, which is an amazing feat for a guy with a lengthy résumé. He’s won 11 conference trophies at Liberty and will likely hit 300 wins at the school by the end of this month. Few coaches have his experience and proven record of winning over a long stretch. He’s turned down a few jobs in recent years, but I’m told McKay’s still open to leveling up, so we’ll see. 

Eric Olen (New Mexico). Will he want to coach three schools in as many years? Olen was awesome at UC San Diego and parlayed that into the UNM job after taking the Tritons to the NCAAs in 2025. The Lobos are a bubble team, but I think they get into the NCAAs on Selection Sunday. New Mexico’s precarious position in the downgraded Mountain West is also something to consider, re: Olen’s options. The fan base and support (ideally) could turn that program into Gonzaga Lite if all goes well … or it could risk dropping down a tier in relevance in a weaker league. 

Brooks Savage (ETSU). The 40-year-old up-and-comer has done a good job the last three years despite not being among the top level of NIL or general resources in the SoCon. ETSU just won the league’s regular season championship and will be at 60-plus wins for the past three seasons under Savage. He’ll be a candidate for multiple quality mid-major openings in the next couple of weeks.

Josh Schertz (Saint Louis). As hot a name as any head coach as we move deeper into March. Schertz’s Billikens won the A-10 regular season, are two wins away from setting a single-season record for most victories and seem likely to get to at least 30 wins at minimum. There’s been interest from the power-conference ranks as of late, and more schools are sure to call, but he’s also got an elite mid-major job in a year where there’s not a top-20 opening. Does he take a big new contract and wait a year or make the jump? Schertz’s decision later this month will dictate some of how this year’s cycle goes.

Takayo Siddle (UNCW). I’d put him on the list of the five most likely mid-major coaches to get a bigger job in the next month. Siddle was a hot name last season before signing a new deal to coach the Seahawks. His team is 26-5, atop the CAA and Siddle’s got a career record of 132-52 and an NCAA Tournament appearance. There is nothing more to prove, and so as long as he’s ready to make a move, someone needs to snatch him up. 

Tony Skinn (George Mason). The 43-year-old has done well in his first head coaching opportunity, going 69-28 to this point. No NCAA Tournament yet, and Skinn’s team had a bad February (2-5), but Mason has the talent to take the A-10 auto bid in Pittsburgh next weekend. Bound to be a buzzy name this year and next, provided GMU keeps compiling 20-win seasons.

Travis Steele (Miami University). Yeah, I think the head coach of the only undefeated team in the first week of March is going to catch the interest of a few athletic directors 😂. Steele’s got a good thing, though, and I’m not so sure he’s going to leave, even if some schools get far down the road with him. Fascinating situation in Oxford, Ohio, made all the more interesting amid the recent approval of a $242 million arena that is planned to open by the fall of 2028.

>>🔥HOT SEAT🔥 The biggest jobs that could/will come open very soon

10 high-end assistants who will be in the mix

I could easily reel off 25 names, but let’s go with a clean 10 — and this is by no means a top 10. These are 10 assistants at programs currently projected to be high-end seeds (No. 5 or better) in this year’s tournament. I’m not including Kellen Sampson at Houston or Jacque Vaughn at Kansas, two prominent assistants who appear to be waiting to scoot over a chair whenever the time comes.

JR Blount (Iowa State). One of the best assistants who doesn’t get the chatter or pub he deserves. Blount, 38, is a savvy defensive tactician who has sharpened Iowa State’s ball-screen, ball-pressure schemes. He’s also highly regarded as a player-development coach. Blount will be involved in multiple job openings at varying levels this cycle and probably won’t have to wait much longer before someone gives him a shot.

Mike Boynton Jr. (Michigan). Former Oklahoma State coach who has built Michigan into one of the best defenses in college basketball. Experience as a head coach, still young (44) and a rock-solid reputation. He will definitely be getting calls, but it’s going to take a big opportunity to leave one of the best assistant gigs in the sport. 

Chris Carrawell (Duke). The 48-year-old associate head coach in Durham is ready to run a program and should be fielding calls for viable jobs in the coming weeks. Carrawell’s been on the bench at Duke for eight seasons and has been the key guy in building out the Blue Devils’ year-over-year frontcourt dominance. 

Emanuel Dildy (Duke). Great charisma, sharp coaching mind and extremely well-connected. Dildy has worked for Jon Scheyer since 2023 and previously spent time at the power-conference level at Oklahoma, Northwestern and Missouri. Duke is a powerhouse; will it lose two assistants in one cycle, though?

Justin Gainey (Tennessee). Gainey’s the top assistant in Knoxville, and there’s curiosity if he can get the job whenever Rick Barnes retires. However, I don’t think Barnes is hanging it up this year. Gainey’s certainly got the credibility at this point to step out and take a job elsewhere. Bright future ahead.

Carlin Hartman (Florida). Among the most well-liked assistants in the sport. Florida has the best and most reliable frontcourt in college basketball; Hartman is the man in charge of the bigs in Gainesville. A Tulane alum, he’d be an obvious top candidate should that job come open, but that’s far from his only opportunity.

Justin Joyner (Michigan). Similar to Scheyer, Dusty May probably has to game out what he’ll have to do if he loses two staff members after a huge season. Joyner has West Coast ties (he was previously a longtime assistant for Randy Bennett at SMC) and is a buzzy name already in this year’s carousel chatter. 

Luke Murray (Connecticut). At this point, I’m not sure why Murray isn’t already running a quality program, though he’s obviously got an elite gig under Dan Hurley. Murray is equal parts an elite recruiter and X-and-O tactician. He’s more than paid his dues at this point and knows the ins and outs of what it takes to operate at the highest level in college basketball. His case is as strong as any other assistant (and even better than some head coaches) in this cycle.

Tyler Underwood (Illinois). By far the youngest on the list, but the chatter about this soon-to-be 30-year-old has steadily increased over the past three months. He won’t be up for a big job, but if the right mid-major comes calling, Underwood will be a real candidate this year and/or next. He’s been the engineer behind the best offense in college basketball; Illinois’ 131.8 adjusted points per 100 possessions is also threatening to be the most efficient in KenPom history. 

Kimani Young (Connecticut). Young is, of course, right there with Murray, as the two have been vital to UConn’s dynastic run. Hurley told me in late February that both are overdue to run not just their own programs, but high-major ones at that. Given the success of other guys like Tommy Lloyd and Jon Scheyer, who were given huge programs after never having been a head coach, athletic directors should feel empowered to follow some of the best-case scenarios and see if there’s another coaching star ready for the leap.