Marcus Paige To Leave UNC for New Coaching Role

More Internal Coaching Gone

It’s another case of Tar Heel royalty departing from the program. Not only did Paige suit up for the Tar Heels for four seasons, but he was one of their most notable talents. Paige averaged 13.1 points per game and was part of several deep NCAA Tournament runs. 

Paige also hit a miraculous three-pointer in the final seconds to tie up the 2016 National Championship game against Villanova, which has gone forgotten in college basketball history, thanks to Kris Jenkins’ buzzer-beating three-pointer on the following possession, sealing a UNC defeat. 

Davis’ firing was met with plenty of criticism from those who felt Davis wasn’t given a fair shake by the university. The Tar Heels made the NCAA Tournament four times during his five-year tenure, but failed to get past the first weekend in each of the last two seasons, leading to the decision to let him go. 

In 2026, the Heels blew a 19-point deficit to 11-seed VCU to get bounced in the Round of 64 for the second consecutive season.

Paige Likely Won't Be Only One

Paige is now the second domino to fall after a promising season quickly turned into a disappointment. As one of the top teams in the ACC during the regular season, their hopes of a deep tournament run were derailed by Caleb Wilson’s season-ending thumb injury. Wilson was the team’s best player, leading them in basically every single major category despite being merely a freshman. 

Paige and Davis surely won’t be the only coaches who won’t be sticking around with the Tar Heels going forward. The team is likely to search for its next head coach externally, breaking from how they hired Davis, who spent nearly a decade as an assistant under Roy Williams before being promoted to the top position. 

The Tar Heels will now look to fill their coaching vacancies throughout the offseason as they will try to load up and improve in the 2026-27 campaign and beyond.