Coaching Carousel Watch: Top HC Vacancies in College Basketball

7. West Virginia Mountaineers

West Virginia has a passionate fan base, and there will be support for the program, but this job is tough. The local recruiting base is virtually non-existent as the state produces minimal Big 12-caliber talent, and regional recruiting draws you into battles with several power programs. The school does not have the NIL might to compete against the top of the Big 12, and the interim head coach Josh Eilert lost a lot of talent to the transfer portal, which will be a continual battle for WVU.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes fired Chris Holtmann in February, and interim head coach Jake Diebler has done a remarkable job leading a turnaround that now puts the Buckeyes on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Ohio State seems intent on hiring a currently employed head coach to lead the program, but if the Buckeyes make the NCAA Tournament with a late-season surge, does Diebler get strong consideration for the job? If not Diebler, Ohio State is rumored to be interested in Xavier’s Sean Miller, UCLA’s Mick Cronin, and FAU’s Dusty May.

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3. Washington Huskies

After an early exit in the PAC-12 Tournament, Washington fired head coach Mike Hopkins. The Huskies move to the Big Ten after this season, and this job gets more attractive and challenging. Danny Sprinkle, the current head coach at Utah State, was born in Pullman and is considered the front-runner for the job. Sprinkle has the Aggies in position for an NCAA Tournament bid after winning the Mountain West regular season title. Other candidates include Leon Rice at Boise State and possibly Washington State’s Kyle Smith. Washington has a lot of resources and a big market in Seattle, but fan support has traditionally been tepid, and regular treks around the country as a member of the Big Ten may not be appealing to some.

4. Oklahoma State Cowboys

Mike Boynton was the head coach at Oklahoma State for seven seasons and made only one NCAA Tournament. After another disappointing campaign, Boynton was let go, and the Cowboys will turn to a new head coach to try and survive in the rugged Big 12. Buzz Williams is possibly looking for an exit from Texas A&M to reset his tenure clock after so-so results in College Station. Drake’s Darian DeVries is looking for a step up to a major conference and has succeeded in the Missouri Valley. USF’s Amir Abdur-Rahim is also a name to watch after winning the American Athletic Conference.

5. Vanderbilt Commodores

Another former NBA coach with no head coaching experience in college has failed in the collegiate game. Vanderbilt canned Jerry Stackhouse after a first-round loss to Arkansas in the SEC Tournament. Vanderbilt is a difficult job due to the high academic standards, making navigating the transfer portal incredibly tough. However, the Commodores are in one of the country’s two premier revenue conferences and have a seat at the changing table of power. That’s incredibly important and offers a chance for Vanderbilt to have at least revenue to compete with, something that cannot be said about a place like Stanford or West Virginia. Former Louisville coach Chris Mack is the rumored front-runner.

6. Stanford Cardinal

After barely surviving the coaching carousel of 2023, Stanford finally relieved Jerod Haase of his duties. The Stanford job is another tough one because of the academic standards that make recruiting difficult and transfers nearly impossible. Haase brought in some good individual talent, but the Cardinal never threatened to be a good team this season, and the school is now moving to the ACC. That complicates this job even further. Washington State’s Kyle Smith and Princeton’s Mitch Henderson would make sense as targets.

College Basketball Links: March Madness Bracketology | Bubble Watch

7. West Virginia Mountaineers

West Virginia has a passionate fan base, and there will be support for the program, but this job is tough. The local recruiting base is virtually non-existent as the state produces minimal Big 12-caliber talent, and regional recruiting draws you into battles with several power programs. The school does not have the NIL might to compete against the top of the Big 12, and the interim head coach Josh Eilert lost a lot of talent to the transfer portal, which will be a continual battle for WVU.