North Carolina Needs To Revisit Pursuing This Coach

Coaching has been the Achilles heel for the North Carolina Tar Heels for nearly a half-decade under Hubert Davis. That was apparent in the Tar Heels' first-round NCAA Tournament exit, leading to North Carolina firing the 55-year-old coach.

With the head coaching position vacant, the Tar Heels have been proactive in their search, but nothing has materialized yet. Arizona's Tommy Lloyd was picking up steam as a legitimate option to take over as the head coach at North Carolina, but that possibility was vanquished when the 51-year-old head coach announced that he is signing a five-year extension with Arizona.

Apr 3, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Dusty May speaks during a press conference ahead of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Dusty May and Billy Donovan have also been mentioned as potential candidates, but, given several factors, they should not be considered realistic options for North Carolina. It doesn't hurt to pursue, but it doesn't seem that those two coaches will leave their current situation for the Tar Heels' position.

With that said, one coach emerged early in the process but slowly fell out of the picture after withdrawing from the running.

North Carolina Needs to Approach TJ Otzelberger

Mar 20, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger looks on against the Tennessee State Tigers during the first half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | Jeff Le-Imagn Images

Less than a week after the Tar Heels parted ways with Davis, Otzelberger was suggested as a potential replacement in Chapel Hill. However, the 48-year-old head coach quickly shut down those rumors as the Cyclones prepared for their second-round matchup against Kentucky.

"As we move forward together, the alignment on our campus with [university president David] Cook, [athletic director] Jamie Pollard is amazing, and we're thrilled and excited about our future together," Otzelberger said. "There's no question about it, there's nothing to talk about, there's nothing else to answer. That's the truth."

Mar 20, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger addresses the media after a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the Tennessee State Tigers at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | Jeff Le-Imagn Images

Unlike the rest of the other coaches potentially open to the move, Otzelberger's buyout is less than $10 million. In fact, his buyout is only $4 million. The Tar Heels' brass should go all out in their pursuit of Otzelberger, who, I would argue, other than May, is the best coach North Carolina could pursue.

In five seasons as Iowa State's head coach, Otzelberger has led the program to four Sweet 16 appearances. North Carolina's track record in that same span has been far less impressive. That is even more eye-opening considering Iowa State does not attract the level of talent that the Tar Heels and other blue blood programs do. With a surplus of financial resources and an allotment of talent at its disposal, Otzelberger could maximize North Carolina's ceiling.