Matt Norlander has the latest movement in college coaching, as the cycle is spinning while the tournament rages on
By Matt Norlander Mar 20, 2026 at 12:16 pm ET • 19 min read 
Getty Images We are up to over 35 coaching changes, 17 of which have had those jobs filled. All job swaps are detailed below.
The next high-major off the board is down in the Flats: Georgia Tech officially hired Troy coach Scott Cross on Friday, a long-expected result after all other candidates behind the scenes exited the conversation a week ago. Cross, 51, has been a head coach for 19 seasons at UT Arlington and Troy, totaling seven league titles and a 350-260 record at the mid-major level.
He got the gig not just because he took Troy to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments for the first time in school history, but also due to some connections at GT.
"We're thrilled to name Scott Cross the 16th head coach in Georgia Tech men's basketball history," Yellow Jackets AD Ryan Alpert said in a statement. "Coach Cross is a proven winner with 350 career victories and seven conference championships on his resume. His combination of experience, success and development of student-athletes, both on and off the court, makes him the perfect person to carry on the proud tradition of Georgia Tech men's basketball. He is a great fit for our program, the Institute and the Georgia Tech and Atlanta communities."
Georgia Tech has struggled to build any type of relevancy in the ACC and on the national scale for close to two decades. In the portal and NIL era, it will be even more difficult. Sources said the school is not expected to have more than $5.5 million to work with in what's likely to be just as aggressive a portal market in 2026 as it was in 2025, in or around 20 programs spent north of $10 million on their rosters.
With Tech off the board, look for Providence and Syracuse to close before the weekend is out. Boston College, perhaps, too. It's a mortal lock that at least two more power-conference jobs fill by Monday at the latest.
From Wednesday ...
On the eve of the start of the NCAA Tournament in earnest, we had a hiring on Wednesday night. Belmont tapped alum Evan Bradds as its next coach, sources told CBS Sports. Bradds has spent this past season with Duke in his first year under Jon Scheyer and will join Belmont after the Blue Devils' run in the NCAA tourney is over.
The 31-year-old has a terrific reputation and is viewed as one of the sharper young minds in basketball; it's why Scheyer believed in him enough to bring him on one of the most coveted coaching staffs in college hoops. Bradds played at Belmont from 2013-17 and was a terrific mid-major scorer, winning OVC Player of the Year as a junior and senior. He finished his time under Rick Byrd with 1,921 points and made 66.7% of his shots.
Before pivoting to college coaching, Bradds worked his way up with the Boston Celtics and its G League team before working with the Utah Jazz as an assistant.
From Monday ...
It was a day-after-Selection-Sunday shocker: Thad Matta is retiring at Butler, the school announced. Per one source, Matta told the team that he came to the decision over the weekend that he couldn't be the guy to lead the program anymore. The news is all the more surprising considering that just a few days ago, Butler athletic director Grant Leiendecker publicly said Matta would be back for a fifth season.
Instead, this is now the eighth power-conference job to open in this year's cycle.
The move has some in college basketball immediately curious as to why things would change from Leiendecker going public with the plan for Matta to be back in 2026-27, only for Matta to reverse course less than four days later.
Ultimately, it's probably the right move. Butler needs some new energy, and there is a window to try and move up in the Big East, which is coming off maybe its worst season in history."
Matta crossed the 500-win plateau in February; his career record is 502-223, including his time at Xavier, Ohio State and his previous one-year run at BU that began his head coaching career in 2000-01. Matta's biggest accomplishment was taking Ohio State to the 2007 national title game against Florida with Greg Oden and Mike Conley. That group went 35-4 and was one of the best Big Ten teams of the past 20 years. Matta also coached OSU to the 2012 Final Four as a 1-seed and finished 34-3.
Here are our other high-major headlines from March:
»Wes Miller was sacked at Cincinnati »Jeff Capel will be back for Year 9 at Pitt »Providence's Kim English is officially out. »Bobby Hurley's time up at ASU; he told me he wants another job ASAP. »Syracuse cut ties with Red Autry. »Georgia Tech fired Damon Stoudamire. »Boston College fired Earl Grant.
MORE: 25 names to know for this year's cycle
If you're interested in keeping up with the scuttlebutt, check back in frequently and be sure to follow me on social media to get the news as it happens in real time with additional intel.
High-majors
ARIZONA STATE | OUT: Bobby Hurley Hurley leaves with the second-most wins in program history and wants to keep coaching/run a program. If I'm Boston College, I'm doing whatever I can to convince Hurley to come. But Hurley also told me he'd take something at the mid-major level. As for the next guy in Tempe, that's up for debate but there is a name with some buzz that most won't recognize: Derek Glasser. The UC Santa Barbara assistant calls James Harden a close friend and there's speculation that hiring Glasser could be crucial to ASU's NIL capabilities. (To me, that is very up for speculation.)
BUTLER | OUT: Thad Matta Matta retired on Monday morning, ending a four-year experiment that didn't see BU move the needle in the Big East. The 58-year-old went 63-69 with the Bulldogs and never finished better than seventh in the conference. Names to know for the opening: former Butler guard Ronald Nored, Miami University coach Travis Steele, UNI coach Ben Jacobson and Akron's John Groce are a good four-pack to start with.
BOSTON COLLEGE | OUT: Earl Grant This one was expected for months. There are 79 jobs in the Power Five leagues, and Boston College, unfortunately and unquestionably, ranks in the bottom five. Grant couldn't win there, but this is an institutional problem as much as anything else. Minimal fan support, bottom of the league in NIL capability, and the basketball there ranks below football and hockey in the priority order. Will take a very specific fit to even give the Eagles a shot at fighting into the middle of the ACC. UConn assistant Luke Murray and Vermont head coach John Becker remain involved. A third round of interviews is happening this weekend, according to a source.
CINCINNATI | OUT: Wes Miller The Bearcats had to make a change after going five straight seasons without an NCAA bid, even if Miller's teams came close three times. The official split will come at the end of the month. Jerrod Calhoun (Utah State) is an alum and the presumed frontrunner. I don't expect anyone else to get the job at this point. Utah State plays Friday vs. Villanova in the NCAA Tournament.
GEORGIA TECH | OUT: Damon Stoudamire »» IN: Scott Cross Sources said the buyout for the 52-year-old Stoudamire was just $2.6 million, which made the decision that much easier after a 42-55 record in three seasons. This is a bottom-four job in the ACC despite its terrific location due to its lack of success over the past two decades, its relatively tough academic parameters and its limitations in NIL. Sources told me Tech will top out at $3.5 million in revenue sharing and maybe an additional $2 million after that. And yet, the 2026 portal market will likely mandate high-major teams to work with at least $6 million in order to be somewhat competitive. As was first reported here, Cross was the guy. The school made it official on Friday.
KANSAS STATE | OUT: Jerome Tang »» IN: Casey Alexander The first power conference job to hit the market in 2026, and it did so in a noisy fashion. Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor fired Tang for cause on Feb. 15. University lawyers and Tang's legal representation are in an ongoing legal dispute over the validity of a for-cause firing, which, if K-State were successful, would mean $0 owed to Tang. If fully unsuccessful, Tang has more than $18 million coming his way. I'm expecting a settlement with terms undisclosed. Alexander and K-State agreed to terms late Thursday night after it was clear that Jerrod Calhoun wasn't going to leave Utah State for this program.
PROVIDENCE | OUT: Kim English The 37-year-old English was formally fired last Friday. PC finished 15-18 this season and English was unable to get the school to the NCAAs in three seasons on the job. The Friars' search has included interviews with more than a half-dozen candidates, one source said, and South Florida coach Bryan Hodgson is regarded as the frontrunner and, at this point, no other primary candidates are involved in the wake of USF's loss to Louisville on Thursday.
SYRACUSE | OUT: Adrian Autry The Orange's season finished with an 86-69 loss to SMU in the ACC Tournament; Syracuse was a 14-seed in the league bracket. Jim Boeheim's successor leaves with a 49-48 record and no NCAA Tournament showings. Autry, 54, was given the job following Boeheim's retirement in 2023. Autry's firing after a failed three-year succession plan puts Syracuse in an interesting and unwanted position. Bryan Hodgson reportedly removed his name from consideration, though sources previously told CBS Sports his candidacy for Syracuse wasn't at the top of the list. With Josh Schertz staying in Saint Louis, the question becomes whether Siena coach/SU alum Gerry McNamara is now the top target after Siena almost upset Duke in Thursday's first round. Sources still insist there is a split amongst power players at/surrounding the university over whether the next coach should come from inside the family. Two sources said Akron's John Groce could still be in play here, but the McNamara movement is obviously possible in the next 24 hours.
Mid-majors
AIR FORCE | OUT: Joe Scott »» IN: Joe Crispin Scott had two runs at Air Force, the first from 1999-2004, the second from 2020 until earlier this year, when Scott was put on leave in January amid an investigation into his treatment of players. That ultimately led to a severance between he and the school, though the two sides ended things amicably with kind words when the split was made official on Feb. 26. A military academy program in the Mountain West, Air Force easily ranks among the 10 toughest jobs in all of college hoops. Crispin, 46, will leave Penn State as an assistant to take on his first head coaching opportunity.
BALL STATE | OUT: Mike Lewis »» IN: Chris Capko The Cardinals had Lewis in charge for four seasons, but the last three were all under .500. With this year's team going 12-19, rumors bubbled up in late January that the job would come up. Lewis, a former UCLA assistant under Mick Cronin, went 61-64 in the MAC. The team hasn't made the NCAAs since 2000 under Ray McCallum. Capko comes aboard after years of working under Andy Enfield at USC and SMU.
BELMONT | OUT: Casey Alexander »» IN: Evan Bradds Alexander was anxious to leave after more than proving his value over the past seven seasons in Nashville. He tallied a 166-60 record with the Bruins, continuing the impressive legacy built out by his former coach and mentor Rick Byrd. Bradds spent this past season at Duke after cutting his teeth in the NBA with the Jazz and Celtics. He played at Belmont and graduated in 2017 after winning OVC POY. At 31, he'll likely be the youngest D-I coach next season.
CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD | OUT: Rod Barnes »» IN: Todd Lee Barnes was fired last September after 14 years at Bakersfield, and the reason is jaw-dropping: One of his former assistants was federally charged for allegations of pimping, among other heinous illegal activities. There have also been changes in leadership in the athletic department and this is a cash-strapped job that's extremely difficult. Lee, who's coached for more than three decades, spent recent seasons on Eric Musselman's staff but was also an assistant at Bakersfield in the '90s.
CHARLOTTE | OUT: Aaron Fearne The 49ers made the move after three years with Fearne, who went 17-17 this season and 47-51 overall. The change had been rumored about for more than a month. Three names under consideration: Wes Miller, former NC State coach Kevin Keatts, Duke assistant Emanuel Dildy. TBD if others will get heavily involved. The school has some solid financial backing for NIL moving forward thanks to some investments by local billionaire Ric Elias.
DARTMOUTH | OUT: Dave McLaughlin The school did not renew McLaughlin's contract. The Big Green job is almost universally considered the toughest in the eight-school Ivy League, so picking a next coach will be difficult. McLaughlin came on in 2016 and was 87-161 with a 41-85 conference record.
EASTERN MICHIGAN | OUT: Stan Heath »» IN: Billy Donlon The Eagles are starting over after five years under Heath. EMU was 57-98 the last five seasons and only finished .500 once both overall and in the MAC (in 2024-25). The location is good for a MAC program (less than 15 minutes from Michigan's campus, in fact) but the resources are bottom half of the league. That will need to change. Donlon is an assistant at Clemson and has a 155-133 record at Wright State and Kansas City.
FIU | OUT: Jeremy Ballard Ballard was sacked on Wednesday morning after his eighth season on the job. The CUSA program had winning seasons in Ballard's first two years but averaged 12 wins over the last six. Its location (Miami) will make this a relatively hot commodity for the level of job it is.
GEORGIA STATE | OUT: Jonas Hayes Hayes lasted four seasons and leaves Atlanta with a 48-79 record at the Sun Belt-based program. The school will still draw in some promising mid-major candidates because of its location and potential in that league.
KANSAS CITY | OUT: Marvin Menzies »» IN: Mark Turgeon A huge get for the Roos, who have pulled off a rarity: A school with zero NCAA Tournament appearances hired a coach with at least 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, at least 15 years of experience of high-major coaching and at least 450 wins. The only other instance of this that I can recall where that exact scenario applied is when High Point hired Tubby Smith in 2018, but he was an alum. Turgeon played at Kansas and therefore has some semi-local ties. He heads to the Summit League with a healthy boost in NIL support, determined not to let his rickety exit from Maryland in 2021 be the end of his story.
LAMAR | OUT: Alvin Brooks »» Jordan Fee Fee? Hit the Phish. Lamar is hiring the FAU assistant with a really good rep as an up-and-comer who's had previous success at some non-D1 spots. Could be one of the best mid-major gets of this cycle. Brooks went 62-95 across five seasons in the Southland. This season's team went 12-19 overall. The Cardinals last made the NCAA Tournament in 2012 under Pat Knight.
LITTLE ROCK | OUT: Darrell Walker »» IN: Travis Ford Walker's team went 12-20 this season and finished seventh in the OVC. He leaves after eight seasons and with a 113-133 record. If you followed the tracker, you saw I had Ford's name as the frontrunner basically from the start. The process was a little clunky and took a scenic route to getting there, but Little Rock brings on a guy with 20-plus seasons as a head coach and almost 500 wins. Ford was most recently at Saint Louis but also Oklahoma State and UMass prior to that.
UL MONROE | OUT: Phil Cunningham A one-and-done in the Sun Belt. Cunningham was the head coach this past season after serving as an assistant the year prior. The team went 4-28 this year, ranking 350th out of 365 teams at KenPom. The bad record combined with the school switching ADs in the past five months led to the change.
NORTH FLORIDA | OUT: Matt Driscoll »» IN: Bobby Kennen This job had been open dating back to last May, when Driscoll left after 16 seasons to be Jerome Tang's top assistant at Kansas State. Now Driscoll is wrapping up a disappointing season in Manhattan, Kansas, in the wake of Tang's mid-February firing. At UNF, the Ospreys struggled under Kennen; the team went 7-24 this season. Nevertheless, he's got the full-time gig. UNF's been a D-I program for two decades, with its lone NCAA Tournament trip coming in 2015 under Driscoll.
Northern Illinois | OUT: Rashon Burno »» IN: Matt Majkrzak Burno bounced after five seasons, all of them under .500. This year's team finished 9-21 and 319th at KenPom at the time of Burno's (expected) resignation. He went 48-106 in one of the toughest jobs in the MAC. As was previously noted in this here capsule, Majkrzak was a leading candiate from the onset. The 35-year-old had a 136-73 in seven seasons at Northern Michigan in Division II.
OREGON STATE | OUT: Wayne Tinkle »» IN: Justin Joyner For Tinkle, the high point was the unexpected run to the Elite Eight in the 2021 COVID NCAA tourney, when the Beavers won three games as a 12-seed after earning the auto bid by winning the Pac-12 Tournament. Joyner is a fresh new face and represents and optimistic new start for the Beavers as the Pac-12 rebirth will commence later this year. Joyner is on a five-year contract and will try to compete in the league with the likes of Gonzaga, Boise State, San Diego State, Utah State.
PEPPERDINE | OUT: Ed Schilling Two-and-through for Schilling, who was a surprising hire in 2024. The Waves went 22-45 the past two seasons and won just eight games in the WCC. Pepperdine famously has one of the most beautiful campuses in the country, but it's also a school with strong religious ties and therefore will have specific criteria for its next coach. Cal Baptist coach Rick Croy could be a name to watch here.
SAN DIEGO | OUT: Steve Lavin »» IN: JR Blount The 61-year-old Lavin couldn't bring the program to consistency in the Gonzaga-dominated WCC. USD has not made the NCAAs since 2008 under Bill Grier. Athletic director Kimya Massey moved even more quickly than most expected when he brought on Blount, who's seen his reputation rise quickly the past two seasons at Iowa State. This was a competitive job opening. I highlighted Blount just last week in my names-to-know piece for this year's carousel cycle. He's considered among the sharpest young defensive minds in high-major hoops, but beyond that, he has an outstanding reputation for his dedication to the job.
ST. BONAVENTURE | OUT: Mark Schmidt Schmidt, 63, leaves the profession with a terrific reputation. Bonaventure is an extremely tough job, yet he won 339 games most in program history, and captured four combined conference titles. With Schmidt leaving, program GM and prominent former NBA national reporter Adrian Wojnarowski will work with school leadership to try and land a coach on the cheap who is about leaning into the challenges and culture of Bonaventure. I've been told that this job is going to be a significant pay cut from what Schmidt was making after 19 years and all the pay bumps that come with such a long tenure. Bona doesn't have any revenue sharing and needs to fundraise all of its capital in order to try and field a roster that can compete in the A-10; Wojnarowski has a huge task ahead, to be sure. Two early names rumored for the job are both alums: Washington Wizards assistant David Vanterpool and D-II Daemen College coach Mike MacDonald, who's done well at that level.
TARLETON STATE | OUT: Billy Gillispie »» IN: Eric Haut Gillispie oversaw Tarleton State's transition into Division I, with the high point being a 25-10 season in 2023-24. The WAC-based school went 92-90 in six years at the D-I level under Gillispie. The university, based in Stephenville, Texas, is about 70 miles southwest of Fort Worth. Haut will join the program after Utah State finishes playing in the NCAA tourney. He's been a valuable assistant at USU, Northern Kentucky and Kent State. Was due for a shot at running his own show.
TENNESSEE TECH | OUT: John Pelphrey »» IN: Tobin Anderson Pelphrey lasted seven years in the Ohio Valley and went 79–138 at what is obviously a very hard job with limited resources. TTU last won the regular-season title in the OVC in 2005, but it landed the best guy possible. Anderson famously coached FDU to a 16-over-1 upset of Purdue in the 2023 NCAAs. He potentially could've gotten a bigger job this cycle. Big coup for this school.
UNCG | OUT: Mike Jones »» IN: Jerod Haase Something of a surprise here, as Jones went 93-69 and didn't get his contract extended. The Spartans went 15-19 this season, the only one of Jones' five that didn't end above .500. The job is considered in the top third in the SoCon. Haase got the job after two years away from coaching. He's 206-180 at UAB and Stanford. The Carolina connection was big in getting him the gig.
WAGNER | OUT: Donald Copeland (?) Wagner was coached by interim Dwan McMillan since the start of the season after Copeland was put on indefinite leave amid a school investigation into alleged abusive coaching tactics, including withholding water breaks during practice. One former player went on record with the New York Post last fall to confirm the allegations, but the school has yet to fire Copeland, who is still listed on the team's website. The Seahawks went 14-17 and lost in the NEC semis to LIU.
WEBER STATE | OUT: Eric Duft We have a Brad Stevens-eseque transition in the Big Sky. Duft has been with the program for two decades, but he's not being fired. He's going into the athletic department with a title of President of Basketball Operations and Development for the men's basketball program. He'll be working with Damian Lillard, who's labeled as Weber State's GM, to get the Wildcats to a better spot, roster-wise, for the net coach. Duft was the head coach the past four years.
WESTERN MICHIGAN | OUT: Dwayne Stephens »» IN: Kahlil Fennel The former Michigan State assistant lasted four seasons in Kalamazoo, going 42-84. The Broncos came extremely close to ending Miami University's undefeated run on Feb. 27 before falling in the final second 69-67. The school last made the NCAAs in 2014. Fennel arrives via UTRGV, where he went 35-29 the past two seasons. A pretty solid get at a place with enough to be a player in the MAC in the next two years.
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