North Carolina’s pursuit of a new men’s basketball coach has run into a series of roadblocks this spring, with several top names either committing elsewhere or explicitly removing themselves from contention. The Tar Heels fired Hubert Davis on March 24 and have since seen a string of developments that have narrowed the pool: Tommy Lloyd and Nate Oats reportedly signed new deals, and Michigan’s Dusty May has said he will remain with the Wolverines.
That sequence leaves Billy Donovan as the marquee target still linked to Chapel Hill. Donovan, now an NBA coach with the Chicago Bulls, has been the likely front‑runner in fan conversations since Davis’ dismissal. The Bulls’ season is over — they don’t make the playoffs and their season ends April 12 — and reports of a possible front‑office shakeup in Chicago could make a move to college more plausible. But Donovan hasn’t coached in college for 11 years, and UNC would face a major strategic decision: wait on a high‑profile fit and risk missing the first wave of the transfer portal, or move quickly for an available candidate.
UNC’s list of alternative options blends veteran program builders, recent mid‑major stars and NBA names. Mark Byington, Vanderbilt’s coach, is a notable example of the latter group. Byington, 49, averaged about 25 wins across his past four seasons and led Vanderbilt to 27 victories this season. He has ACC and state ties — he played at UNC Wilmington and previously assisted at Virginia and Virginia Tech — but has never coached at a blue‑blood program and has not yet reached a Sweet 16.
Several candidates would bring experience turning programs into winners. Sean Miller, now at Texas, went 21‑15 in his first season with the Longhorns and guided them from the First Four to the Sweet 16. Miller’s résumé includes 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, nine Sweet 16s and four Elite Eights — though his past association with the 2017 federal Adidas investigation will be a consideration for UNC decision‑makers. Ben McCollum, fresh from a dominant run at Drake and now at Iowa, offers an impressive winning percentage and program‑building chops after leading Drake to 31 wins in his final season there.
Other names on the list carry mixed recent form but strong institutional narratives. Scott Drew, the architect of Baylor’s long recovery and 2021 national champion, endured a down year as Baylor went 16‑16. Josh Schertz, who rebuilt Saint Louis after success at the Division II level, and Grant McCasland, who reached the Elite Eight with Texas Tech in 2025 and won the NIT with North Texas in 2023, are both seen as capable program restorers but might be difficult to lure eastward. Jerry Stackhouse — now an NBA assistant with Golden State but remembered for an uneven five‑year stretch at Vanderbilt (28‑60 in the SEC) — remains a “family” option for a school weighing continuity versus a clean break.
UNC could also turn to a coach with NBA championship experience in Mike Malone, who led the Denver Nuggets to the 2023 NBA title and has connections to the Carolina program, including a daughter who plays volleyball at UNC. T.J. Otzelberger of Iowa State is being floated as the conservative choice: his teams have ranked among the nation’s top 10 defenses in four of his five seasons and would give UNC a clear identity focused on turnover creation and structure.
With the transfer portal timeline looming and several high‑profile names now less likely to move, UNC’s decision boils down to whether the program will wait for an elite, potentially risky swing at a coach like Donovan or pivot to a candidate who can hit the ground running. The search remains active and fluid; no hire has been announced.