The 15 Men’s College Basketball Coaches Facing the Most Pressure in 2026

Men’s college basketball’s coaching carousel has moved at breakneck speed in recent years, with turnover at some of the biggest programs in the sport of late. The big moves of last cycle included North Carolina sacking Hubert Davis after an NCAA tournament collapse against VCU and Michigan losing Dusty May to the Mavericks in a shock June departure.

Could we be in for another chaotic carousel this spring? With some big names on the hot seat and even bigger ones approaching retirement, don’t rule out another wild year of movement.

Here’s an early primer on what to expect entering the 2026–27 season.

Hot seat

Jeff Capel, Pittsburgh

It was no secret late last season that Pittsburgh was exploring the market, but eventually elected to sit out the carousel and give Capel another season. A full-scale roster flip followed, with the Panthers bringing in 10 transfers to try to bounce back from a 20-loss campaign. Another year near the bottom of the ACC likely would spell the end, but Capel has escaped the hot seat before and shouldn’t be completely counted out.

Steve Forbes, Wake Forest

Forbes has raised the floor at Wake, finishing .500 or better in ACC play in four of the last five seasons after the program did so just once in 10 years prior to his arrival. But after some near misses on Selection Sunday, Forbes has to reckon with entering an eighth season on the job without having made the NCAA tournament. Getting there this year will be a major challenge given the Demon Deacons may have spent the least of any power-conference program on their roster this spring. If Wake does eventually move on, it will need to get its act together financially if it has serious aspirations of NCAA tournament berths.

Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes is entering his eighth season without having made an NCAA tournament. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Lamont Paris, South Carolina

Paris got a big extension after a 26-win second season with the Gamecocks, but the program has floundered since, with just six SEC wins across the last two seasons combined. The program leveled up its roster spend this spring, and results need to follow for Paris to feel safe. The problem: Even with a roster over $10 million, the Gamecocks are near the bottom of the SEC in overall spending. The other thing to monitor here is how the uncertain future for football coach Shane Beamer impacts the school’s decision; two buyouts in one year might be a bridge too far.

Porter Moser, Oklahoma

Moser was thought to be in deep trouble last February, but the Sooners’ strong finish put them on the bubble and made new AD Roger Denny exercise some patience. Still, Moser has just one NCAA tournament appearance in five years and no SEC finishes at .500 or better. That’s enough to keep the pressure on entering the 2026–27 season. Oklahoma is among the teams most impacted by the ongoing age-based eligibility legal battles. Guard B.J. Edwards and big man Duke Brennan might be the difference between being a fringe top 25 squad and finishing near the bottom of the SEC.

Ed Cooley, Georgetown

Through three years, Cooley has shown few signs of life in turning around a dormant Georgetown program. This year may not be NCAA tournament or bust, but it’s certainly time for Cooley to show progress toward getting the Hoyas back dancing to cool down his seat. Another sub-.500 season might be enough for Georgetown to look at pulling the plug on Cooley’s tenure.

Penny Hardaway, Memphis

Memphis bottomed out to a 13–19 campaign last season, one that left Hardaway on his heels and created plenty of speculation that he’d be pushed out of his alma mater. He’s back for another year, but a bounce back is essential. Memphis is playing catchup from an NIL standpoint with power-conference peers, but is still outspending the AAC and results like last year’s are hard to fathom with that financial edge.

Worth monitoring

Mike Boynton, Michigan

Michigan gave Boynton a two-year stopgap contract to replace May this summer, but he has benchmarks he has to reach this season to guarantee the second year of that deal. The path to doing so got more difficult when the Wolverines lost star freshman Brandon McCoy for the season during a summer international exhibition game, but Michigan still has plenty of talent including Final Four Most Outstanding Player Elliot Cadeau. If the Wolverines are among the Big Ten’s best as expected, there’s a good chance Boynton will have a chance to stick around.

Mark Pope, Kentucky

The offseason was bumpy, but when you take a step back from the chaos and assess Kentucky’s roster, there are plenty of reasons for optimism. Getting Milan Momcilovic out of the portal and keeping Malachi Moreno gives the Wildcats a chance to be one of the better teams in the SEC. That said, there’s clearly tension here after a 14-loss season. Kentucky also has a new AD in J Batt who didn’t hire Pope, so that dynamic could come into play if the Wildcats struggle.

Kentucky coach Mark Pope is coming off a 14-loss season and a bumpy offseason, but there is reason to be optimistic for a turnaround. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Mike Rhoades, Penn State

A 20-loss 2025–26 season wasn’t entirely unexpected; Penn State’s roster-building resources were at or near the bottom of the Big Ten. AD Pat Kraft said this summer he believes the program has enough money for Rhoades to be competitive; many around college basketball aren’t so sure. Rhoades is on a seven-year deal, and digging a deeper financial hole might not be good business … but another ugly year could make this one interesting.

Danny Sprinkle, Washington

The start of Sprinkle’s tenure has been underwhelming, with back-to-back sub-.500 seasons despite major roster investments early in his tenure. The spending seems to have been scaled back, and Sprinkle will now have to do more with less to get the Huskies to the NCAA tournament. A third straight season near the bottom of the conference could create some uncomfortable conversations in Seattle.

Micah Shrewsberry, Notre Dame

It was perceived as a coup for Notre Dame to land Shrewsberry from Penn State in 2023, but his tenure in South Bend has been underwhelming. An injury-plagued 13–18 season a year ago has turned the heat up some, and the Irish lost a pair of high-profile pieces in Markus Burton and Jalen Haralson to the portal following the year. He’s only in the fourth season of a seven-year contract, so if the Irish can show some improvement there may not be much motivation to make a move. Another ugly year could make things interesting, though.

Retirement watch

Bill Self, Kansas

Retirement rumors surrounding Self reached a fever pitch around last year’s Final Four, but he elected to come back for at least one more year in spite of persistent health woes. This year, he’ll get to coach projected No. 1 pick Tyran Stokes, who’s expected to be the star of a Jayhawk team hoping to get out of the NCAA tournament’s first weekend for the first time since winning the national title in 2022.

Rick Barnes, Tennessee

Barnes has brought Tennessee to the most success the program has ever experienced. Can he bring them to a Final Four before retirement? The Vols went all-in with one of the most expensive rosters in the country this spring to give Barnes the tools to take this year’s team far. If he delivers that breakthrough, will he then walk away soon after?

Tennessee coach Rick Barnes is likely nearing retirement. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Mark Few, Gonzaga

Few has been believed to be approaching retirement for a couple of years now, and has a successor lined up in top assistant Brian Michaelson if and when he walks away. He has helped secure Gonzaga’s future, landing them a lucrative spot in the new Pac-12 that begins play this season. He might keep going for another couple of years, but the end is approaching for one of the most transformative tenures in the sport’s history.

Tad Boyle, Colorado

Boyle’s 16-year run at Colorado has featured six NCAA tournament berths, but things have gotten a bit stale of late with back-to-back rough seasons after moving to the Big 12. The program is behind most of the league financially from a roster spend perspective, which hasn’t helped matters. Colorado might not fire Boyle, but a mutual parting seems quite possible.

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