The Carolina Basketball head coach search continues, and there is a lot of information flying around about who the Heels could potentially come to an agreement with. There’s plenty of names that have come up more than once, and most of them would be really good candidates. There is definitely a tier list when it comes to who would have the most success in Chapel Hill, and there are some that would be really good but may not fit the mold of what the school is looking for right now.
That said, let’s
take a look at our rankings of the potential head coaching candidate for the Tar Heels.
1.) Tommy Lloyd (Arizona)
Tommy Lloyd has done a really good job during his tenure in Arizona. In five seasons he has made the Sweet Sixteen four times, is currently a favorite to make it to the Final Four, won three conference regular season titles, and three conference tournament titles. This guy knows how to win, and he’s doing so in one of the tougher conferences in college basketball depending on who you ask. It’s hard to not make Lloyd a priority, and regardless of what he said to the media yesterday, he has to be at least somewhat intrigued.
2.) T.J. Otzelberger (Iowa State)
This one is fun, because Iowa State fans are losing their minds over the fact that Otzelberger keeps coming up in the coaching search. Otzelberger hasn’t had as much success over the same span as Lloyd, but he does have a lot of potential. It’s also worth noting that he hasn’t exactly had household names on his roster, yet he has made it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament three of his five seasons with the Cyclones. There’s rumors that he and his family wouldn’t want to leave Ames, and there’s a chance that it could be true. But if it is not true and UNC could make an offer enticing enough to get him to leave the state of Iowa, he could do a good amount of damage in the ACC.
3.) Dusty May (Michigan)
This is when I take a moment to remind the audience that this list is more about who the best options for UNC would be, and less about the probability that they would take the job. That said, while it’s highly unlikely that May would leave Ann Arbor, there’s no doubt that he’s done some really good things at Michigan. The Wolverines are currently #1 in KenPom, they’ve only lost three games this season, and they have a good chance of making the Final Four if they can survive their game against Alabama. Oh, and he’s already won the Big Ten regular season and Big Ten Tournament titles in 2025 and 2026, respectively. Bear in mind that he’s only been on campus for two years. If UNC wants a guy that knows how to win, he’d be a great pickup.
4.) Billy Donovan (Chicago Bulls)
Evaluating Billy Donovan is tough when looking at his entire situation. Let’s talk about the bad: Donovan is 60 years old, which is in direct conflict with future UNC AD Steve Newmark was saying about wanting a coach that will be here for years. He also hasn’t coached college basketball in the current NIL/Transfer Portal landscape, and Newmark specifically said that they want someone who “is adept and understands” the changing landscape of college athletics.
As far as positives go, UNC wouldn’t have to worry about a buyout with Donovan. Also, as someone who has had to watch a lot of Bulls basketball, one thing that can be said with confidence is that teams quitting before the final buzzer has rarely been a thing with him. His teams are consistently fighting in games despite the fact that he has been given some poorly constructed rosters, and ultimately that has led to some unexpected wins over some really good teams. Have they been blown out of the water by 30+ points despite having so much fight in them? Sure, but the Bulls organization has also set Donovan up for failure at every turn, so do with that what you will. He would be incredible from a pure basketball perspective, but how long he’d stick around and his ability to navigate the current landscape would be the biggest problems.
5.) Mark Byington (Vanderbilt)
It is hard to fully buy into the idea of Mark Byington being a good fit for Carolina, mostly because it feels like he’s still in the process of proving himself. He did a pretty good job of that this season — the Commodores made it all the way to the SEC championship game before losing to Arkansas, and they spent a decent amount of time ranked in the AP Top 25. Bear in mind that Vanderbilt used to be in really bad shape, so he is truly working miracles in Nashville. One of the options above Byington in the rankings would be considerably better, though.
There are other candidates that have been talked about quite a bit, but they do not deserve much air for various reasons. People are really sour on Nate Oats for reasons that are probably obvious at this point. Florida is doing everything they can to make sure Todd Golden remains their head coach until the end of time. Finally, Brad Stevens stated that he was not interested in the job, which tracks considering the fact that he has a comfy front office job with the Boston Celtics.
But what do all of you think of our rankings? Is there someone we forgot? Let us know in the comments below.
