Men’s College Basketball’s Coaching Carousel: Names to Know As Jobs Open

We’re shaping up for what is expected to be an active college basketball coaching carousel. While there could be limited activity at top-tier jobs, sources tell Sports Illustrated that double-digit high-major jobs could open this cycle, creating trickle-down that will impact the entire sport. Who are the up-and-coming names you should be aware of who could get jobs this cycle? Here’s a comprehensive list of the top coaches to monitor as we enter March.

Josh Schertz, Saint Louis

Schertz is the trendiest name in this season’s carousel cycle, building a reputation as one of the nation’s sharpest tacticians in his time at Saint Louis, Indiana State and Division II Lincoln Memorial. And his name could gain even more steam if the Billikens make the type of Cinderella run they’re capable of. Saint Louis is among the most well-resourced programs outside of the power conferences and seems poised to make a significant investment should Schertz stay. If an elite job comes calling it may be hard for him to turn it down, but it’s not a foregone conclusion Schertz takes a job this cycle.

Jerrod Calhoun, Utah State

A Bob Huggins disciple, Calhoun built the Youngstown State program from the ground up and has followed that up with a phenomenal run at Utah State with a team likely headed to the NCAA tournament yet again this season. He’s a brilliant offensive mind who has navigated the portal extremely well, and he’s not tethered to one region of the country after succeeding on the West Coast. He’s a Cincinnati alum and figures to be in play there should that job open, but several of the expected high-major vacancies could get in the mix.

Casey Alexander, Belmont

Alexander has won 20-plus games in 10 straight seasons dating back to his time at Lipscomb and has the best team in the Missouri Valley this season. He has proven himself to be one of the top evaluators of high school talent in the country and has one of the nation’s top offenses this season. Alexander has beaten back interest from other jobs in the past but is expected to be a hot commodity this time around. He could be in the mix at Kansas State and in play at potential vacancies at Oklahoma and Georgia Tech as well.

Bryan Hodgson, South Florida

Once one of the nation’s top recruiters as an assistant under Nate Oats at Alabama, Hodgson turned things around quickly at Arkansas State and has South Florida at the top of the AAC in his first year on the job. He’s a high-energy guy capable of reigniting a fan base, and his ties to upstate New York has made him a name speculated about for the Syracuse job. His name could be in for several high-major vacancies, though.

Joe Gallo, Merrimack

Gallo has helped Merrimack transition up from D-II successfully, first winning the NEC and now bringing home the MAAC regular-season title this season. His patented zone defense could be an appealing twist for lower-level high-majors intent on winning a different way, and the likelihood of lots of activity in the Northeast this spring aids his case to get a better job.

Eric Olen, New Mexico

Olen parlayed a 30-win season at UC San Diego into the New Mexico job last spring and has the Lobos fighting for an NCAA tournament bid in Year 1 despite having to engineer a near-complete rebuild. New Mexico is a very good job and has NIL resources to regularly compete for at-large bids, though conference realignment hasn’t been kind to the Lobos and the athletic director who hired Olen, Fernando Lovo, has already left for Colorado.

Travis Steele, Miami (Ohio)

Steele is architecting one of the best stories in college basketball in 29–0 Miami (Ohio), a program that hadn’t even hit 20 wins in a season since 1999 before last season’s 25-win campaign. Steele struggled as head coach at Xavier after being a longtime assistant there, but perhaps a season like this has upped his image enough for a shot at high-major redemption. His name has often been floated as a possible outside-the-family hire should Butler and Thad Matta part ways this offseason.

Takayo Siddle, UNC Wilmington

Siddle has built a consistent winner at UNC Wilmington, winning 27 games a year ago and following that up with at least a share of the CAA regular-season crown this season and another 25-win campaign. He’s a North Carolina native who has spent the majority of his career in the state but could be in the mix for jobs up and down the East Coast.

Tony Skinn, George Mason

A few weeks ago, it seemed almost guaranteed that Skinn would have several high-major suitors this spring. But George Mason has fallen apart of late, losing four straight games by double figures and five of six after a 20–2 start. Three straight 20-win seasons at Mason is no small feat though, and if the Patriots can right the ship down the stretch he could quickly rebuild his stock.

James Jones, Yale

Jones may never leave Yale, but high-majors would be wise to make him say no. He’s built a monster in New Haven, Conn., taking the Bulldogs to back-to-back NCAA tournaments and four straight top-100 KenPom finishes, a marvel in an era where it’s harder than ever for Ivy League teams with limited ability to hit the transfer portal or leverage NIL. The Bulldogs are positioned well for a third straight trip dancing. It wouldn’t be a splashy hire, but Boston College or Providence would be smart to consider Jones.

20 Other Head Coaches to Monitor

Kenny Blakeney, Howard
Matt Braeuer, Stephen F. Austin
Speedy Claxton, Hofstra
Kahil Fennell, UTRGV
Corey Gipson, Austin Peay
John Groce, Akron
Andy Kennedy, UAB
Dustin Kerns, Appalachian State
Eric Konkol, Tulsa
Brad Korn, Southeast Missouri State
Ritchie McKay, Liberty
Gerry McNamara, Siena
Ryan Miller, Murray State
Chris Mudge, Sam Houston State
Andy Newman, Cal State Northridge
Todd Phillips, Utah Valley
Richie Riley, South Alabama
Rob Senderoff, Kent State
Andy Toole, Robert Morris
Russell Turner, UC Irvine

Assistants to Watch

Luke Murray, UConn

Murray and Kimani Young have been essential in UConn’s rise under Dan Hurley, and both are expected to be in the mix for jobs this cycle. Murray is among the few assistants with the realistic possibility of jumping straight into a high-major head job, either this cycle or in the future. The son of famous actor Bill Murray, Luke Murray is lauded as one of the elite X’s and O’s assistants in the country.

JR Blount, Iowa State

Blount has been a core part of Iowa State’s unbelievable success under T.J. Otzelberger after climbing the ladder at Colorado State and Drake under Niko Medved. He figures to be a strong candidate for jobs throughout the Midwest, especially if anything opens in the Missouri Valley or MAC.

Carlin Hartman, Florida

Hartman is long past due for his first head coaching job, having grinded his way up from working at several mid-majors to becoming the top assistant at Florida, where he won the national title in 2025 and has another elite team this season. He’s been a big part of the development of Alex Condon, Rueben Chinyelu and Thomas Haugh into the nation’s best frontcourt.

Mike Boynton, Michigan

Boynton wasn’t great in his seven-year run at Oklahoma State, but did produce future No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham and wasn’t given nearly enough resources from an NIL standpoint to compete toward the end of his tenure. He has been an essential part of Dusty May’s staff at Michigan since and will have a chance to be selective about his next gig, perhaps even getting a real look at another high-major opportunity. May’s staff as a whole figures to get plenty of attention, with Justin Joyner expected to be involved with vacancies on the West Coast and Akeem Miskdeen and Kyle Church credible candidates for head jobs this year and beyond as well.

Emanuel Dildy, Duke

Dildy has climbed the ladder all the way from Kennedy-King juco in Chicago to associate head coach at Duke and seems more than ready for his first D-I head coaching job. He has deep Chicago ties, so jobs in the Midwest may be most likely, but the Duke move does open the door for possibilities outside that.

Jeff Linder, Texas Tech

Linder had Wyoming rolling at one point, taking the Cowboys to the NCAA tournament in 2022 before two down seasons as NIL took hold led him to depart for a top assistant job at Texas Tech. He’s an elite offensive coach and built a strong track record for evaluating talent at Northern Colorado and Wyoming.

Justin Gainey, Tennessee

Gainey is Rick Barnes’s top assistant at Tennessee, and with Barnes long known as one of the top kingmakers in college basketball, you can expect plenty of interested parties this cycle. He was in the mix for the NC State job (his alma mater) last spring before it eventually went to Will Wade and would be a strong candidate for jobs at various levels throughout the Southeast.

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