Coaching Changes That Will Impact The 2026-27 Men’s College Basketball Season

The college basketball coaching carousel was active this offseason. Will Wade is back at LSU. Michael Malone is bringing NBA championship pedigree to a blue blood. The reigning national champion, Michigan, lost its coach to the pros. And several other top programs are putting their trust in former mid-major coaches. Those moves will have a major impact on the 2026-27 season. Here’s a look at the coaching changes that could matter most. Will Wade is back in Baton Rouge, returning to the program where he previously coached from 2017-22. LSU fired Wade in 2022 following a series of NCAA violations, and after a brief stint away from coaching, he rebuilt his career at McNeese (2023-25) before spending one season at NC State. When former LSU coach Matt McMahon was fired, Wade got the call to return. This offseason, Wade assembled a roster loaded with transfers and fifth-year players who needed lawsuits to obtain eligibility, including stars Donovan Dent and RJ Luis. Following Hubert Davis’ firing in March, North Carolina turned to NBA coaching talent, hiring Michael Malone to lead the Tar Heels. The Denver Nuggets parted ways with Malone after the 2025 NBA season, and he spent the following year as an NBA broadcaster. Now, Malone begins his first stint as a college head coach, bringing more than 10 seasons of NBA coaching experience — including a 2023 NBA championship with Denver — to one of college basketball’s most storied programs. Malone enters his debut season hoping to bring the Tar Heels back to national prominence. Dusty May was poached by the Dallas Mavericks after leading Michigan to a national championship. Assistant Mike Boynton Jr. was promoted to interim head coach, and eventually signed a two-year deal with the program in July. He retained all but one player — L.J. Cason — during the NCAA-mandated transfer portal window following a coaching change. Before being hired as an assistant at Michigan, Boynton was the head coach at Oklahoma State for seven seasons, where he went 119-109, making one NCAA Tournament appearance. Now, after two seasons as an assistant, Boynton will guide a Wolverines team that lost its top three players to the NBA Draft. Tony Stubblefield was promoted to interim head coach after Dana Altman announced his retirement. In his 11 seasons on Oregon’s staff, Stubblefield has been part of eight NCAA Tournaments, including five Sweet 16s, two Elite Eights and a Final Four appearance. Stubblefield left the program for a brief stint as DePaul’s head coach, where he went 30-66 from 2021-2024, but was let go midway through the 2024 season. The coaching change opened a transfer portal window for Oregon’s players, but with the season fast approaching, no one has elected to leave. Randy Bennett is back in his home state as he enters his first season leading the Sun Devils. He brings an impressive résumé to Arizona State, including 25 seasons as Saint Mary’s head coach, 12 NCAA Tournament appearances and seven West Coast Conference regular-season titles. After the Sun Devils went 17-16 last season, Bennett will look to get ASU back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2023. He replaces Bobby Hurley, who spent 11 seasons as the program’s head coach. Jerrod Calhoun joined the Big 12 to lead the Cincinnati Bearcats, returning to his alma mater after two seasons at Utah State. Calhoun led the Aggies to a 55-15 record and back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances during his tenure. Now, he’ll look to bring that success to Cincinnati after replacing former Bearcats coach Wes Miller. Meanwhile, former Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson takes over for Calhoun at Utah State. Bryan Hodgson took over at Providence following an underwhelming 15-18 finish last year. He joined the Friars after one season at South Florida, where he led the Bulls to an impressive 25-9 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance. Now tasked with building a roster largely composed of transfers, Hodgson will look to return Providence to the postseason for the first time in three seasons. He also beat out several high-major programs and blue bloods to secure a commitment from 2027 recruit Lewis Uwvo, the No. 7-ranked player in the 247Sports rankings. A familiar face returns to Syracuse as Gerry McNamara will begin his first season as head coach of the Orange. McNamara played guard for Syracuse from 2002-06. He started 135 games in college, and averaged 35 minutes per game as a freshman on Syracuse’s national championship team with Carmelo Anthony. McNamara returned to his former school after two seasons at Siena, where he won a MAAC conference title and led the team to an NCAA Tournament appearance. Justin Gainey has returned to NC State, this time as the Wolfpack’s head coach. He played for the program from 1996-2000 before joining Rick Barnes’ staff at Tennessee as an assistant. Now, after Will Wade’s departure for LSU, Gainey will look to lead his alma mater back to the NCAA Tournament. After parting ways with former head coach Jerome Tang, who led Kansas State to an Elite Eight, the Wildcats brought in Casey Alexander ahead of the 2026-27 season. Alexander spent the past seven seasons at Belmont, where he recorded seven consecutive 20-win seasons and compiled a 166-60 record. A former Belmont guard (1991-95), Alexander takes over a Wildcats team coming off a disappointing 12-20 season and will look to get the program back to the postseason.