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Stephen A. Smith got roasted for his North Carolina coach suggestion

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Mar 23, 2026 4:00 PM ET

The North Carolina Tar Heels appear increasingly likely to part ways with head coach Hubert Davis, opening the door for suggestions on who might succeed him. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith weighed in with a suggestion of his own, albeit one most people scoffed at.

Smith suggested on Monday’s “First Take” that longtime NBA analyst Kenny Smith should be the choice to succeed Davis. Stephen A. argued that Smith would be a force to be reckoned with in recruiting and would restore prestige to the rivalry with Duke.

“There’s no way (coach Jon Scheyer) has the top recruiting class four of his five years at Duke if Kenny Smith’s at North Carolina,” Smith said. “Somebody’s coming to North Carolina if Kenny Smith is the head coach. They’ll go back and forth.”

.@stephenasmith calls for @TheJetOnTNT to be North Carolina's next head coach? pic.twitter.com/cqcNJpKywp
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 23, 2026

Kenny Smith is a North Carolina alum with ties to the university, but the suggestion was ridiculed online by people who pointed out there was no reason to believe he would be any better than Davis.

stephen a. smith said the same thing about the recruiting when deion sanders got the colorado job and we have yet to see it.

stop handing out jobs just because you have a relationship with those guys.
— Keeper of the Code (@RioIsTrio) March 23, 2026

Yes, let UNC hire a second straight coach without any head coaching experience.
— SWT (@swt3esq) March 23, 2026

Stupid take tbh. No coaching experience. Does he understand NIL and transfer portal? Have connections with recruits? Is he just gonna hire Carolina assistants? How is this any different than Hubert Davis?
— TE (@Tim2DaE) March 23, 2026

While Smith has previously been linked to NBA coaching jobs, he has no coaching experience to speak of. Even Davis had spent nine years as Roy Williams’ assistant before inheriting the Tar Heels job. It is almost unfathomable to think the Tar Heels would target anyone with no experience whatsoever for the job.

North Carolina is far more likely to go with someone more experienced. The big question is whether they would be willing to hire someone without any pre-existing ties to the school as rumors suggest they might, or if that would be a prerequisite.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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