If Bill Self Retires, Who Should the Jayhawks Hire As Their Next Head Coach?

Bill Self has never been one to speak about retirement, but when asked after the season came to an unceremonious ending last weekend in the Round of 32, he opened up more than usual. He mentioned he is going to talk with his family and make a decision. Self also mentioned that while he used to think in five-year increments when it came to his coaching career, now he’s thinking more in two-year increments. 

Self’s time at the University of Kansas is likely coming to an end sooner rather than later. With the recent announcement that North Carolina will be moving on from Hubert Davis, that could make two blue-blood programs with head coach openings. Both programs could poach some of the biggest names out there, so Self will need to make a decision quickly if they want to get their pick. Let’s take a look at some of the top names currently available for the Jayhawks. 

No. 1: Jacque Vaughn, Kansas Assistant Coach 

We’ve seen other blue blood programs like Duke, North Carolina, and Kentucky hire from within or hire former players in recent coaching hire cycles. If Kansas hired Jacque Vaughn as their next head coach, he would check both of those boxes as a former player and as an internal candidate. 

Vaughn has head coaching experience at the NBA level and filled in for Bill Self for one game this past season when Self had a health scare. He is 1-0 as acting head coach for the Jayhawks. He has been back with the program for one year, and the powers-that-be have likely had the chance to see if he would be a good fit moving forward. His ties to KU, both in the past and the present, would be a big selling point. If he can help keep current players or show a knack for being able to help attract high-end recruits to the program, that is another plus for Vaughn. 

If it comes down to internal vs external hire and they go with an internal option, Vaughn would be a great choice for the program. 

No. 2: T.J. Otzelberger, Iowa State Head Coach

How would you feel about this one, Cyclone fans? Otzelberger has made Iowa State a yearly contender in the Big 12 in Ames, but would the tradition-rich Kansas program be able to lure him south? Otzelberger and Self offer similar styles of coaching, harping on great defense and 100% effort and buy-in from all players in the system. Iowa State is in the middle of a tournament run, having made it to the Sweet 16 despite an injury to one of their top players, Joshua Jefferson, and that shows a great coaching job by Otzelberger. Kansas would be thrilled to add a head coach of his caliber while also putting a dent in a rival program in their own conference

No. 3: Tommy Lloyd, Arizona Head Coach

Another option from within the Big 12, Tommy Lloyd, would be a great fit in Lawrence, Kansas. Lloyd has proven to be a winner in multiple conferences and has the Wildcats in position to compete for a National Championship this season. His overall record in his five seasons at Arizona is a brilliant 146-35. That’s the type of success Kansas fans would love to see. While following up a Hall of Fame coach like Self wouldn’t be easy, bringing in a coach like Lloyd with the consistency with which he performs would be about as smooth a transition as you could get at this level. 

No. 4: Dusty May, Michigan Head Coach 

Dusty May is a rising star in the college basketball world and is only in his second season with the Wolverines. He led Michigan to a 1 seed in the tournament and one of the top National Title contenders in 2026. He led FAU to a Final Four just a few years ago and is looking to do the same with the Wolverines this season. Michigan has one of the best offenses in America, and he had a high-flying offense at FAU as well. It would be an electric hire for the University of Kansas if they could lure May away from Michigan. 

No. 5: Todd Golden, Florida Head Coach

Yes, Florida just got bounced in the Round of 32 by an Iowa team led by head coach Ben McCollum (another coach who could be on the honorable mention list for potential head coaches at Kansas), but Todd Golden could be a home run hire for the Jayhawks. 

Golden and the Gators are just one year removed from a National Championship, and, being 40 years old, he’s one of the bright young coaches in the game. Golden received a contract extension from Florida after the National Title run, but Kansas could be one of the few schools that have the chance to lure him away from the Gators. 

Honorable Mention: Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska Head Coach/Ben McCollum, Iowa Head Coach

Many will remember Fred Hoiberg’s time at Iowa State, as a player and as a head coach, but Hoiberg has since taken over at the University of Nebraska and turned the program into a winner. The Huskers finished second in the Big 10 after being ranked preseason No. 14. Nebraska not only picked their first-ever NCAA tournament win, but they were able to make it to the Sweet 16 and still have a chance to go further. The downside of a Hoiberg hire would be his age at 53 years old. However, there is still plenty of gas in the tank, and he could be a great head coach over the next decade for the Jayhawks. 

On the other side, you have Iowa’s head coach, Ben McCollum. He has shot up the coaching ranks, moving from a DII powerhouse at Northwest Missouri State, to leading Drake to a tournament run in 2025, to now leading Iowa to a Sweet 16 in 2026. The pause would be that Iowa finished with a .500 conference record while finishing 9th place in the Big 10 this season. Kansas may want to see how he does at the power conference level for a few years before making a jump to a guy like McCollum. However, his rise is undeniable, and the comparisons to a young Bill Self are a bit overblown but not inappropriate at all. It would be a fast rise, but going from Northwest Missouri to Kansas in a four-year span would be quite impressive. 

Hoiberg will face McCollum in the Sweet 16 with an Elite 8 berth on the line. Winner moves from honorable mention to one of the top five outside hires for Kansas? Probably not, but it will be something fun to watch as the tournament continues toward the Final Four. 

Any of these names would be fine hires for the University of Kansas if Bill Self were to retire. There is always the possibility that Self will tell Kansas he will coach for one more year and give them a full year to prepare for the next hire. That would give them another year to evaluate and look internally at Vaughn. It would give them another year to keep an eye on the names above, although I think each man would be a great hire currently, most of those names would likely still be there for the Jayhawks next year as well.