Iowa State Basketball Coach Reportedly Not in Mix for North Carolina Job

Since T.J. Otzelberger took over as head coach of the Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team, he has turned them into one of the best programs in the country.

He took over from Steve Prohm, who won only two games in his final season at the helm. Otzelberger found immediate success, leading the team to the NCAA tournament in Year 1 and every year since.

Taking part in March Madness for the fifth consecutive year, the Cyclones are in the Sweet 16 for the third time under Otzelberger. The turnaround has been magnificent, and Iowa State fans can put aside any worries of their head coach leaving this offseason.

There were some rumors floating around that Otzelberger was going to be a target for the North Carolina Tar Heels, who moved on from head coach Hubert Davis. It would make sense for North Carolina to have the Cyclones' head man on their short list of candidates, but the feeling was not mutual.

T.J. Otzelberger not in the mix for North Carolina head coaching job

Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger pointing. — Mar 13, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger gives direction during the first half against the Arizona Wildcats at T-Mobile Center. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

As shared by Jeff Goodman of Field of 68, Otzelberger isn’t in the running for the Tar Heels head coaching job, but by his own accord.

"TJ Otzelberger is NOT in the mix at Carolina, and by his own doing. He was in their first tier, according to sources. But he's a different dude,” Goodman said.

NEW: "TJ Otzelberger is NOT in the mix at Carolina, and by his own doing. He was in their first tier, according to sources. But he's a different dude."@GoodmanHoops with the latest on the UNC search 👀

🎥: https://t.co/utboyuhocB pic.twitter.com/NYKZtiFpFC
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 26, 2026

It is easy to see why North Carolina would have him in their top tier of targets. What he has accomplished thus far in his tenure as the Iowa State head coach is as impressive a job as anyone has done around the country over the last five seasons.

Evidently, loyalty is not dead in collegiate sports, at least in Ames. North Carolina is a blue-blood program, one that many head coaches would love to have the opportunity to lead, but not Otzelberger.

As Goodman shared, being near his family is important to Otzelberger. If he were to accept the position with the Tar Heels, it would impact his ability to see them regularly, and that was enough for him to remove his name from consideration.

The basketball analyst added that the Cyclones will treat their head coach well, hinting that an extension of some sort could be on the horizon.

Iowa State fans can rest a lot easier now after this report from Goodman. They thought they had an Iowa State lifer with football head coach Matt Campbell as well, but he accepted the head coaching job with the Penn State Nittany Lions this offseason.