Chuck Martin's Exit Leaves a Big Hole in Razorbacks Recruiting

Arkansas assistant is leaving the Razorbacks to join Michael Malone's staff at North Carolina.

Arkansas Razorbacks assistant coach Chuck Martin before a game against Missouri. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

Chuck Martin's time in Fayetteville is over.

The Arkansas assistant coach is moving on from the Razorbacks and headed to Chapel Hill to coach under new Tar Heels coach Michael Malone, Jon Rothstein reported on Wednesday.

The move to North Carolina isn't just another job for Martin, it's a reunion.

Martin and Malone worked together at Manhattan back in 1999-2000, making this one of those full-circle moments that only a 25-plus year coaching career can produce.

Martin grew up in the Bronx, graduated from Monmouth with a degree in communications and has spent more than two decades building a reputation as one of the sharper recruiting minds in college basketball.

His path has wound through Manhattan, UMass, Drexel, St. John's, Memphis, Marist, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Indiana, South Carolina, Oregon and Kentucky before landing in Fayetteville in 2024.

At both Drexel from 2001 to 2004 and UMass in 2000-01, Martin worked under current Razorbacks staffer James "Bruiser" Flint, adding yet another layer to the web of coaching relationships that's defined his career.

Sources: Arkansas' Chuck Martin is finalizing a contract to be the Associate Head Coach at North Carolina under Michael Malone.

Martin --- who worked with Malone many years ago at Manhattan --- was instrumental in back-to-back top-five recruiting classes for the Razorbacks.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 8, 2026

He Helped Build Champions Along the Way

Martin's resume is built on player development just as much as recruiting. At Indiana from 2014 to 2017, he helped the Hoosiers earn two NCAA Tournament berths and a Big Ten championship in 2016 with future NBA pros Thomas Bryant and OG Anunoby on the roster.

Before that, his earliest work with Hogs coach John Calipari came at Memphis from 2006 to 2008.

That Tigers squad went 71-6 during his two seasons, reached the 2008 NCAA Championship game and sent three players, including No. 1 overall pick Derrick Rose, to the 2008 NBA Draft.

His five seasons at South Carolina from 2017 to 2022 showed another dimension of his coaching value. He helped Chris Silva become the 2018 SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team All-SEC selection who went on to play for the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.

He also helped develop 2019 SEC Sixth Man of the Year Hassani Gravett along with A.J. Lawson, who went on to the Dallas Mavericks and Justin Minaya, who landed with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Martin worked his way up from assistant to associate head coach during his time in Columbia.

At Oregon in 2022-23, he worked with first-team All-Pac-12 center N'Faly Dante and helped bring in McDonald's All-American Kwame Evans Jr. His efforts that year earned him recognition as one of the 50 most impactful high-major assistants in the country.

Arkansas Razorbacks assistant coach Chuck Martin looks on as coach John Calipari reacts to a non-call in the second half against the Troy Trojans at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

What He Helped Build in Fayetteville

Martin joined Arkansas as one of Calipari's first hires when the Head Hog arrived in 2024, taking on the dual role of assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.

It was the same role he'd held for Calipari at Kentucky the year before.

At Kentucky for the 2023-24 season, Martin helped the Wildcats land the No. 2 recruiting class in the country for 2024, managing all official and unofficial visits while overseeing the program's full recruiting strategy.

His work carried right over to Fayetteville. In his two seasons with the Hogs, Martin helped Arkansas land the top-rated point guard in the nation in back-to-back classes in Boogie Fland in 2024 and Darius Acuff Jr. in 2025.

Both recruiting classes cracked the national top 10. He also helped the Razorbacks reach the NCAA Sweet 16 in his first season on the job.

Arkansas Razorbacks offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino during a fall camp practice on the outdoor practice fields in Fayetteville, Ark. | Andy Hodges-allHOGS Images

Second Arkansas Staffer to Head to Chapel Hill

Martin's move makes him the second member of the Arkansas athletics staff to depart for North Carolina in recent months.

Former football offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino made the same trip this past offseason.

The Razorbacks will now need to find a new recruiting coordinator as Calipari rebuilds his staff heading into a critical offseason.

Martin leaves behind a two-year track record in Fayetteville that'll be difficult to replace. He and his wife Lee have three children with daughter Ashley-Monet and sons Jordan and Justin.