College basketball coaches are expected to win quickly, now more than ever in the new age of NIL and the transfer portal. These 10 coaches are on the hot seat heading into the 2026-27 season.
1. Penny Hardaway, Memphis
Penny Hardaway is approaching Bobby Hurley-Arizona State territory, where he’s almost extended his stay a little bit too long. If Memphis goes for 20+ wins and makes a run at the NCAA Tournament, he’s likely there for another year. But another disaster of a non-conference like last year, and Hardaway could be on the way out after a nine-year run with the Tigers.
2. Jeff Capel, Pitt
What is the bar at Pitt? If it’s a winning record, Capel has only reached that three times in eight seasons. If it’s a trip to March Madness, he’s only done that once, leading the Panthers to the round of 32 in 2023. Coming off a 13-20 season, I don’t see any way Pitt can continue to go with Capel on the sidelines unless he takes them to the big dance. Anything short of that and Pittsburgh has to make a decision.
3. Steve Pikiell, Rutgers
I don’t think we can start a conversation about Pikiell in any other way than prayers for good health and for the cancer to go away. It’s a very sad and scary time for the Rutgers head coach, and the college basketball community is right by his side. But we also can’t ignore his track record with the Scarlet Knights for the purpose of this article. Three straight losing seasons and just a 161-160 record in town just doesn’t cut it. It’s time for Rutgers to move on.
4. Micah Shrewsberry, Notre Dame
Shrews has been in South Bend for three seasons and has compiled 15 wins or fewer in each of them. Injuries have certainly been a big part of the lack of success, but recruiting woes – both in the portal and in high school – haven’t helped either. I can’t see Notre Dame being okay with four straight losing seasons to a tenure.
5. Danny Sprinkle, Washington
The once-heralded coach from Utah State, Sprinkle just hasn’t gotten it done at Washington. The Huskies have gone 13-18 and 16-17 in his two seasons and don’t necessarily have a roster that looks like it’ll change anything drastically. Three straight losing seasons is not how you want to start a coaching tenure at a Big Ten school, so the seat is definitely very warm for Danny.
6. Archie Miller, Rhode Island
While this article mostly looks at Power 5 coaches, Miller is a big enough name and Rhode Island is a big enough program to include. And in four seasons, it has been dismal. Archie is 55-71 with just one winning season. Before him, coaches like Dan Hurley, Al Skinner, Jim Harrick, and Tommy Penders had lots of success at URI. Archie’s time is likely up unless they put together a solid 20-win year.
7. Mike Young, Virginia Tech
While Virginia Tech’s basketball standard may not be the same as its ACC peers, coach Young has had multiple NCAA Tournament-caliber teams and continues to fall short. With a squad that features Amani Hansberry and Ben Hammond, if the Hokies can’t manage to make the field of 76 this year, Young could be on the way out.
8. Steve Forbes, Wake Forest
While Wake Forest’s standard for college basketball coaching excellence was once higher than it is today, there seems to be a growing discouragement with Forbes as head coach. Yet while the Demon Deacons have never made the NCAA Tournament under him, he’s led them to three 20-win seasons in six tries. The pressure is on for Forbes to deliver with an expanded NCAA Tournament.
9. Lamont Paris, South Carolina
South Carolina may not value its basketball program nearly as much as football, but as an SEC team, two straight 13-win seasons are still unacceptable. Obviously, Paris led the Gamecocks to 26 wins in just his second season. But at a certain point, you can’t have a string of losing seasons in a row. Paris is approaching that territory.
10. Dana Altman, Oregon
If Oregon lets Dana Altman go after this season, it won’t be because he’s a bad coach. He’s about to reach 800 career wins and has had a Hall of Fame career. Yet after just 12 wins a year ago, Ducks fans are getting cautious about their 68-year-old head coach. There’s a chance Oregon can see what happened to a school like Syracuse, which held on to Jim Boeheim a little bit too long and had it affect the program. Do I think Altman even has another losing season? Nope. But if it does happen, there could be some uncomfortable talks.