We no longer have to wait for the end of the regular season for the men's college basketball coaching carousel to start spinning. Two years ago, Maryland and Louisville opened up long before the stretch run of the campaign. Last season it was Texas and Notre Dame opening early, with Ole Miss joining them toward the end of February.
This season, DePaul and Ohio State have already made in-season moves, after West Virginia entered November with an interim head coach who is unlikely to land the permanent job.
The coaching carousel has regained its usual pace since the COVID-impacted cycle of 2020, when fewer than 30 coaching changes were made. There were 57 job changes in 2021, 60 in 2022 and 61 last year. We're currently at six openings, with another two or three that have interim coaches at the helm.
To get you prepared for the next two months of coaching machinations and the accompanying rumors -- of which there will be many -- let's take a look at the biggest jobs, names and storylines to watch on the 2024 men's college basketball carousel.
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Big-picture storylines | Jobs already open | Jobs trending to open | Jobs to watch | Jobs likely not opening | Seats that have cooled | Non-power programs to watch | High-profile names to watch | Mid-major names to monitor | Could they coach again?
Big-picture storylines to watch
1. Are we expecting a busy carousel?
Although there are just 2½ weeks left in the regular season, it's still unclear how much the carousel is going to spin this spring. There are already three Power 6 jobs available, and another three are almost guaranteed to open. After that, a handful could go either way -- and that doesn't even include the likes of Michigan, Indiana and Villanova, which could send the cycle into overdrive and kickstart a major chain reaction.
2. Is a school's NIL budget the biggest decision-making factor for coaches?
When it comes time for a coach to decide to leave his current school for a new one, dozens of factors will be considered: Salary, location, conference affiliation, school traditions, family comfort, etc. But among the biggest these days is a program's NIL budget. West Virginia's large NIL pool is attractive. DePaul working to raise its NIL budget has been a selling point. Some coaches have expressed that their NIL budget would take a hit if they moved to Ohio State. NIL is also a talking point for schools looking to move on from coaches earlier than usual. In an era where turning things around via the transfer portal within a year or two is imperative, having the money to attract top talent is a top priority.
3. Retirement watch
Is there a surprise in store this spring? Jim Boeheim stepped down following Syracuse's ACC tournament loss last season, Jay Wright retired in April of the previous offseason and Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski announced their retirements in 2021. Miami's Jim Larrañaga (74 years old) and Florida State's Leonard Hamilton (75) have been asked about retirement for several years, and both have maintained they have no interest in retiring. Will their teams' struggles this season change that decision? Meanwhile, the buzz surrounding a potential retirement from Oregon's Dana Altman (65) is getting louder. The Ducks are third in the Pac-12 but haven't gone dancing since 2021.
Others to watch include Duquesne's Keith Dambrot (65) and La Salle's Fran Dunphy (75), while Old Dominion's Jeff Jones and Tarleton State's Billy Gillispie have been sidelined for much of the season with health issues.
4. Guys who could look around