Prominent Analyst Links Baylor's Scott Drew to North Carolina Job Opening

Following North Carolina moving on from Hubert Davis after another disappointing season for the Tar Heels, there have been some prominent names emerge for the job opening. The first two names to arise were Michigan's Dusty May and Arizona's Tommy Lloyd.

But Lloyd and Arizona agreed to a contract extension on Friday, and Michigan appears to be set to do the same for May — barring something changing.

May is likely at the top of North Carolina's board, but if it can't land the Michigan coach, ESPN's Pete Thamel listed Billy Donovan, Dan Hurley, and Iowa State's TJ Otzelberger as other candidates.

However, Thamel then shifted to more 'realistic' candidates, which were Baylor's Scott Drew, Grant McCasland from Texas Tech, Iowa's Ben McCollum, and Mark Byington from Vanderbilt. Thamel noted all four of them would be expensive — Drew has a $4 million buyout.

What’s next at UNC? Latest from @gameday, as a flurry of action is expected soon. pic.twitter.com/8OxI3urfFI
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) April 4, 2026

Plucking Drew away from Baylor wouldn't be easy

Loyalty isn't something that's common in today's day and age of collegiate athletics, but it has been a key component for Scott Drew.

23 seasons. That's how long Drew has been coaching the Bears. After one season as the head coach of Valparaiso, he came to Baylor in the 2003-04 season and has done nothing but good things for the Bears.

Baylor has been to 13 NCAA Tournaments and won the national title in 2020-21. While Baylor has never been among the bluebloods of college basketball, Drew has been known as one of the best coaches in college basketball.

It wouldn't be shocking to hear that North Carolina was interested in plucking Drew away from Baylor, but will the long-time coach want to leave?

Back in 2024, Kentucky wanted Drew, and he opted to stay with Baylor.

"We truly believe God has called my family and I to continue our work here at Baylor, surrounded by the best people and community anyone could be blessed to have," Drew said. "We are grateful for the support of [AD] Mack Rhoades, President [Linda] Livingstone and the entire Baylor family, and we look forward to working together to bring more championships to Waco."

This season was disappointing for the Bears and Drew. They missed the NCAA Tournament, didn't win a single game in the Big 12 Tournament, and lost in the semifinals of the College Basketball Crown Tournament, but this was certainly an abnormal year for Drew.

The Bears lost all of their players from last year's team, and Drew had to do some rebuilding. We would expect things to drastically improve for the Bears starting next season.