UNC Must Aggressively Target This Star Head Coach

The coaching search for North Carolina has not been going as smoothly as we might have thought. As more and more coaches stay put and eliminate themselves from contention, the pool of available candidates is getting thin.

At the top of the list is Bulls head coach Billy Donovan. The issue with hiring Donovan is that Carolina would have to wait until the end of the NBA season is over, and that would mean North Carolina would be without a coach while the transfer portal officially opens, wasting valuable time that they can’t really afford to lose.

This only adds to the list of pros for hiring a current college head coach. Names like Nate Oats, Tommy Lloyd, Dusty May, and TJ Otzelberger have been floated around a lot, but I have rarely heard the name seriously come up of one of the best coaches in the country that the Tar Heels should aggressively target - and soon.

Grant McCasland

Grant McCasland has won at every stop in his career. His first head coaching job came in 2004 at Midland Junior College, where he led them to an NJCAA Division 1 Championship and a 5-year .816 overall record at 142-32

McCasland then went to Midwestern State and won just as often. He boasted a 55-12 record in two years there and reached the Division II Elite Eight in both years. From this, he went on to a one-year stint at Arkansas State before eventually landing the head job at North Texas.

McCasland stayed at North Texas for six years, posting a 135–65 record and creating multiple success stories, including an NCAA Tournament appearance and an upset win over then-ranked No. 4 Purdue in the 2021 bracket.

This led McCasland to his current position as the head coach at Texas Tech, where he has taken command of the Red Raiders and consistently positioned them as one of the best teams in the country, all while being part of one of the hardest conferences in the nation.

Mar 20, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Grant McCasland in the first half against the Akron Zips during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

McCasland has won at every stop of his career and is one of the top coaches in the country. Not making him decline the job would be a travesty for the Tar Heels. They must at least call him and aggressively push him to take the lead role for Carolina basketball.

Big Texas Guy

The issue is, McCasland is a Texas guy through and through. He was born in Irving and played guard for Baylor in the 90’s. Of course, most of his career has been in Texas, and it would have been all of it if not for his stint in Arkansas.

It may be a long shot to land him in Chapel Hill, and Texas Tech seems like a prime position for the NIL era in college sports. If North Carolina wants to land a coach to lead the future of Carolina basketball, they’re going to have to make the top guys at least turn them down.