7 Big Names Emerging For The North Carolina Job

Originally posted on The Spun | By Andrew Holleran | Last updated Mar 25, 2026 11:00 PM ET

Seven big names are emerging for the North Carolina job.

UNC officially fired head coach Hubert Davis this week. Davis, who took over for the legendary Roy Williams, was ousted after the Tar Heels' first round loss in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

The school did not officially say that Davis was fired, however, the head coach said in a statement on social media that he was "let go" by the university and that his desire was to continue to coach in Chapel Hill.

"This opportunity has truly been such a blessing," Davis said in the statement. "I thank Jesus literally every day for giving me the opportunity, relationships and experiences with the kids and my staff. I am very proud of what we were able to accomplish together. My goal is to coach again in the very near future."

Davis had more than $5 million in guaranteed money left on his deal.

Meanwhile, as Davis is ousted, the Tar Heels need a new head coach. And UNC's next head coach might still be coaching in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

ESPN college hoops insider Jeff Borzello has named seven big coaches candidates for the job:

Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd
Michigan coach Dusty May
NBA coach Billy Donovan
Florida coach Todd Golden
Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger
Alabama coach Nate Oats
Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland

Of those seven names, four are still coaching in the NCAA Tournament - Lloyd, May, Otzelberger and Oats.

Michigan is already doing its best to keep May

Michigan's administration has made it clear that the Wolverines will do what they can to keep their head coach, who led the program to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament this year.

The Wolverines will play for a spot in the Elite Eight on Friday.

Meanwhile, one anonymous ACC head coach is worried about who UNC will hire.

"I had really hoped he was the coach forever. No one in the ACC was scared of him. I'm worried that they hire someone really good now because if you get a big-time guy at UNC, they could be right there with Duke again," he told Jeff Goodman.

One ACC head coach to me on Hubert Davis' departure:

"I had really hoped he was the coach forever. No one in the ACC was scared of him. I'm worried that they hire someone really good now because if you get a big-time guy at UNC, they could be right there with Duke again."
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 25, 2026