Even with the NCAA Men’s basketball tournament still going on, eliminated colleges and universities are trying to improve for next season in order to win big in 2026. Multiple schools have already made big hires to attempt to change their schools fortunes for next year and beyond. Here is the list of seven big names that have been hired over the past week during the red hot 2025 hiring cycle for head coaches in college basketball.
Darian DeVries – Indiana
Darian DeVries joins Indiana after one season with West Virginia, going 19-13 and just barely missing the NCAA tournament. Before that, DeVries had a strong six-year stint with Drake where he won 150 games and made the tournament three separate times as a mid-major standout. DeVries looks to rebuild a program that has seen some depressing years recently, headlined by bringing his son Tucker DeVries with him from West Virginia who is regarded as one of the best shooters in college basketball.
Fran McCaffery – Penn State
Fran McCaffery just finished up a 15 year run at Iowa, where he won over 500 games and made the tournament seven times in those 15 years. Now McCaffery brings his pedigree to Penn State, which needs a boost of stability after some sour seasons, most recently placing 2nd to last in the Big 10 during conference play. It might take some time, but the veteran head coach in McCaffery should have success within a couple of years.
Ben McCollum – Iowa
Ben McCollum is an up and coming star who flourished in his rookie debut as a D1 head coach. He led Drake to a stunning 31-4 record and even winning a NCAA tournament game in the round of 64. McCollum was quickly picked up by Iowa and looks to take the program to a new level in the Big 10. McCollum already landed his former point guard at Drake in the transfer portal, as Bennett Stirtz looks to continue his dominance as he moves up the college basketball ladder.
Niko Medved – Minnesota
Niko Medved did an excellent job at Colorado State, winning a recent NCAA tournament game while turning Nique Clifford into a college star and future 1st round pick in the NBA draft. Minnesota has been one of the most well-known basketball schools for all of the wrong reasons because of the lack of success and inconsistent NIL funds. Medved will try his best with these challenges and I am certain he will elevate Minnesota to a respectable standing within the sport which the program has missed for some time.
Will Wade – NC State
Will Wade rehabilitated his stock in a big way over the past couple of years. After getting suspended and subsequently fired at LSU, he made his way over to McNeese State and took a small program to big heights, which culminated in a huge win over Clemson in the NCAA tournament. Now at NC State, this is a huge opportunity to put his stamp in the currently vulnerable ACC. With a passionate mindset that Wade possesses and strong financial backing in terms of NIL, NC State should be awesome right away.
Sean Miller – Texas
Sean Miller heads to Texas after completing a second stint with Xavier, which was very mediocre compared to his go around back in the 2000’s. Miller will have better NIL funds by heading to the SEC, as he hopes to help a team that needs to get back to their winning ways. It may take a few years to do so, but Miller has a chance to bring Texas to success they haven’t felt in a while if given a slightly longer leash.
Richard Pitino – Xavier
The son of Naismith Hall of Fame basketball coach Rick Pitino (currently at St. John’s), Richard has blossomed into an excellent coach in his own right. Pitino had great success in a four year run at New Mexico, developing some stellar players along the way, highlighted by Donovan Dent who averaged over 20 points a game in the Mountain West. Now at Xavier, he hopes to challenge the top programs in the Big East, including his father’s team, which should bring some exciting entertainment as soon as next fall.
