After North Carolina's split with Hubert Davis, here are 6 candidates to replace him
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So much for this being a quiet college basketball coaching carousel.
One of the sport’s most coveted jobs opened Tuesday night when North Carolina fired Hubert Davis less than a week after the Tar Heels blew a 19-point second-half lead in a first-round NCAA tournament loss to VCU.
Between North Carolina’s tradition-rich history, iconic brand and ample resources, the Tar Heels should have a conga line of proven coaches eager to take the job. And yet the vast majority of elite programs that have had recent coaching vacancies have struggled to land the type of prominent names that will undoubtedly be atop North Carolina’s wish list.
Can North Carolina still land a big fish even in an era when an elite coach doesn’t necessarily need to be working at a blue blood to compete for a national title? This job search will be a litmus test. Here are a half-dozen heavy hitters that North Carolina could consider and some pros and cons to each of them.
Billy Donovan, Chicago Bulls head coach
Age: 60
Why he makes sense: There are few coaches North Carolina could target with a better resume than that of Donovan. The three-time SEC coach of the year guided Florida to six regular-season conference titles, four Final Fours and a pair of national championships over the course of a brilliant 18-year run as head coach of the Gators.
Donovan has spent the past 11 seasons coaching the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder and Chicago Bulls. He has passed when other top-tier college jobs have opened, but might he be in need of a fresh start with the Bulls in 12th place in the East and facing a long rebuild.
Why he doesn’t: Donovan might still be happy in the NBA and decide he prefers to stick it out with the Bulls rather than return to the college level. Then there’s also the fact that the timing isn’t ideal with the Bulls not playing their final regular-season game until April 12.
But the biggest concern might be how drastically the college game has changed since Donovan left it more than a decade ago. Donovan is an excellent tactician and a skilled communicator, but would he be able to seamlessly adjust to the world of NIL payouts, unlimited transfers without restrictions and annual roster churn?
Todd Golden, Florida coach
Age: 40
Why he makes sense: If North Carolina can’t get Donovan, why not try for the coach who returned Florida to the mountaintop? Golden became the youngest coach since Jim Valvano to win a national championship last season. He followed that up this season by leading the Gators to a second straight No. 1 seed and an outright SEC title.
Analytically, he is cutting edge. He has also displayed a sharp eye for talent and a knack for player development, plucking the likes of Walter Clayton and Will Richard from the mid-major ranks and transforming Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon from three-star recruits into NBA prospects. Golden appears to be one of the next generation of coaching stars.
Why he doesn’t: The first stumbling block is whether Golden would be interested. Why does Golden need to go to North Carolina when he has already shown that he can win national titles and annually compete at the highest level where he is now?
Then there’s the matter of how much it would cost even before North Carolina ponied up to pay Golden and a new staff. If Golden leaves for another college job before April 15, 2026, his new school would owe Florida $16 million. This figure drops to $11 million on April 16, 2026.
North Carolina would also have to do its due diligence on off-court concerns about Golden. He was the subject of a four-month Title IX investigation last season regarding allegations of sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and stalking. Florida closed that investigation in January 2025 with no findings of policy violations.
Tommy Lloyd, Arizona coach
Age: 51
Why he makes sense: For years, Lloyd was Mark Few’s most trusted lieutenant at Gonzaga. It wasn’t just that Lloyd was college basketball’s finest international recruiter, bringing the likes of Domantas Sabonis, Rui Hachimura, Kelly Olynyk and Kevin Pangos to Spokane, Washington. Lloyd was also a well-rounded coach who constructed Gonzaga’s offense and was instrumental in game planning and player development.
Since becoming the head coach at Arizona four years ago, Lloyd has excelled. He has earned top-two NCAA tournament seeds in four of his first five seasons in Tucson and has the Wildcats poised to challenge for a national title this year. He has shown the ability to build elite offensive and defensive teams, to recruit elite American prospects and top-tier international talent.
Why he doesn’t: The one element missing from Lloyd’s resume is a deep NCAA tournament run. While he might take care of that in the next week, Lloyd’s previous Arizona teams have failed to advance beyond the Sweet 16.
Would North Carolina pay an $11 million buyout to secure a coach who has never advanced beyond the Sweet 16? And would Lloyd pack his bags and leave the West’s top program — apologies to Gonzaga and UCLA — to head to the Triangle?
Dusty May, Michigan coach
Age: 49
Why he makes sense: After taking Florida Atlantic to back-to-back NCAA tournaments and a Final Four, May has crushed it at his first big-boy job. He has shown a keen eye for talent in the transfer portal and a knack for building rosters that fit in two seasons at Michigan.
In a 12-day shopping spree last spring, May assembled a title contender via the transfer portal, adding skilled 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara, rim runner Morez Johnson, do-it-all forward Yaxel Lendeborg and pass-first playmaker Elliot Cadeau. That quartet has carried the Wolverines to 33 wins, including routs of Howard and Saint Louis to open NCAA tournament play.
Why he doesn’t: Michigan has given May all the resources he needs to assemble top-tier rosters and compete for national championships. He has said repeatedly that he is very happy in Ann Arbor.
Does he have any reason to mess with happy? Especially when one of the reasons he chose Michigan over Louisville was to avoid the media scrutiny and job pressure that comes with coaching at a traditional basketball power?
Nate Oats, Alabama coach
Age: 51
Why he makes sense: Start with Oats’ on-court accomplishments. The offensive mastermind has won big at both Buffalo and Alabama, piling up 59 wins in his final two seasons as coach of the Bulls before leading the Crimson Tide to unprecedented heights. Alabama has advanced to the Sweet 16 or beyond in five of the past six seasons. The Tide have been no worse than fourth nationally in offensive efficiency each of the past three seasons.
Basketball at North Carolina is more important than it will ever be at football-first Alabama. Might that appeal to Oats to go somewhere that he’ll never play second fiddle?
Why he doesn’t: The buyout is among the highest in college basketball. The school that hires Oats away from Alabama would have to pay $18 million until April 1 or $10 million after that date.
Then there’s the controversy that has followed Oats in recent years with several high-profile player arrests and poor crisis management. Is that something that North Carolina would be eager to deal with?
TJ Otzelberger, Iowa State coach
Age: 48
Why he makes sense: It’s easy to forget that Iowa State was 2-22 the year before Otzelberger arrived. The Cyclones have made the NCAA tournament in each of Otzelberger’s five seasons in Ames, earning top-three seeds each of the past three years.
Otzelberger’s success is driven by shrewd player evaluation, a culture of grit and accountability and a defensive system that relies on using aggressive traps and ball pressure to force turnovers. Iowa State has boasted a top-13 defense nationally every season under Otzelberger and was No. 1 in the country two years ago.
Why he doesn’t: Otzelberger has deep ties to Ames spanning multiple stints as an Iowa State assistant coach before taking over as head coach in 2021. His roots might be too deep for him to pick up and leave, though North Carolina is the sort of job that could make anyone have a wandering eye.
Then there’s the issue of whether his blue-collar approach would translate well at a blue blood. Could he lead a team of millionaires? And would his lack of a NCAA tournament run beyond the Sweet 16 prevent North Carolina from targeting him?
