Why Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd Could Be Bill Self’s Successor at Kansas

Bill Self is back in Lawrence gearing up for year 24 as head coach of Kansas basketball. He’s the school’s all-time winningest coach and owns the most conference championships, conference tournament championships, and NCAA titles of any coach in KU’s illustrious history.

He’s the greatest coach in the history of the program whose shoes will be near impossible to fill.

But one day, in the not-so-distant future, he will retire from his current role and KU Athletics will be faced with making the biggest coaching hire since Self was brought to Lawrence in 2003.

A man who could be primed to step in for Self when that day comes is Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd.

Lloyd, who has spoken highly of the Kansas program on multiple occasions, recently signed a five-year contract extension with Arizona through the 2031 season after guiding the Wildcats to a 36-3 record – which included a Big 12 championship, Big 12 Tournament championship, and a Final Four appearance in the NCAA Tournament where they fell short to eventual national champion Michigan.

Tommy Lloyd gives props to Kansas for handing Arizona their first loss of the season pic.twitter.com/VQPn0HxEnx
— PHNX Wildcats (@PHNX_Wildcats) February 10, 2026

The new contract is potentially noteworthy for Jayhawk fans as Lloyd no longer has a Big 12 non-compete clause, according to Jason Scheer of 247Sports. That clause has been replaced by a $1 million increase to the buyout amount which (if he leaves) would vary depending on when he accepts a new position at another school.

This gives Lloyd more flexibility to leave for Kansas – albeit at a multi-million dollar cost – should Self retire following this season or the seasons ahead. And his hiring would be a huge win for the Kansas program.

In his five seasons at the helm in Tucson, he’s led the Wildcats to an impressive 148-36 (.804) record. His 61 wins in his first two seasons and his 148 wins over five seasons are both NCAA Men’s Division I records.

He’s guided Arizona to the NCAA Tournament each of the past five years – reaching the Sweet 16 in four of those five seasons, including the Final Four run that they went on this spring. Only once have they failed to reach the second weekend of the tournament and that was in Lloyd’s second year in 2023.

He regularly brings in some of the top recruits in the country and he’s been a model of sustained success. Not to mention, Lloyd studied under Mark Few at Gonzaga for 21 years as an assistant and is a high-character coach with a squeaky clean record on and off the court.

You could not ask more from a head coaching candidate than what Lloyd can offer. And with the Big 12 non-compete clause no longer in his contract, there is zero reason why he shouldn’t be the first call made out of Lawrence when Self decides to step away from KU.

Add us as a preferred source on Google