2024 coaching carousel: Grading every high-major hire as Kentucky hires Mark Pope
The 2024 college basketball coaching carousel saw a surprise turn of events when Kentucky opened. With John Calipari off to SEC rival Arkansas and a swing and miss for the homerun hire, it is now time for the Mark Pope era to begin.
There are still plenty top candidates on the market for the teams looking to fill their vacancy, but finding the right fit between coach and school can be difficult.
The final grades for every college basketball hire does not come until their tenure ends – whether in a matter of years or decades – but initial grades take into account the expected prestige of the job and the current pedigree of the coach.
Take a look at the early grades for every high-major coach hired during the 2024 offseason so far.
Arkansas
Out: Eric Musselman
In: John Calipari
Grade: A
After a down year under Eric Musselman, Arkansas hits reset with a coach bringing in a Hall of Fame resume. John Calipari arrives in one of the biggest moves in the history of college basketball.
Despite recent struggles to find NCAA Tournament success, the recruiting prowess of Calipari has never been questioned. Arkansas will be in the mix for every recruit and transfer, with potential to build a national championship level roster.
DePaul
Out: Tony Stubblefield
In: Chris Holtmann
Grade: B+
DePaul needs a complete overhaul to compete in the Big East, so bringing in a head coach with a track record of bringing a program up to standard in the conference makes a lot of sense. Chris Holtmann never struggled to compete on the recruiting trail and had successful stretches at Ohio State before things went the wrong way.
This job is a tall task, but DePaul did about the best they could hope for here. The promise of NIL backing looms large as the transfer portal opens.
Kentucky
Out: John Calipari
In: Mark Pope
Grade: C-
Kentucky lands on former team captain Mark Pope after publicly swinging and missing on candidates like Scott Drew and Dan Hurley. Before the search got started, fan favorites Nate Oats and Jay Wright made it clear they were not interested.
This is not the hire anyone envisioned following a divorce from John Calipari, bringing zero career NCAA Tournament wins to the table.
Louisville
Out: Kenny Payne
In: Pat Kelsey
Grade: C-
As the 2023-24 season dragged on, the college basketball world knew Louisville would be making a coaching change. Dozens of top names were floated as potential candidates and were ruled out one by one over the course of several months. Finally, the school lands on Charleston’s Pat Kelsey.
This grade is less of an indictment on Kelsey than the process which led to the hire. The four NCAA Tournament appearances with Winthrop and Charleston are an impressive start, but fans aimed higher than a former Chris Mack assistant when the job opened.
Michigan
Out: Juwan Howard
In: Dusty May
Grade: A
Michigan lands the top coach openly on the market, making this hire worthy of a good grade. Dusty May has plenty to prove in the Big Ten grind but had a long list of athletic directors ready to bet on him succeeding.
Building a roster through the transfer portal as its challenges at Michigan, but early expectations will be for May to immediately content for an NCAA Tournament return.
Ohio State
Out: Chris Holtmann
In: Jake Diebler
Grade: B-
When Ohio State parted ways with Chris Holtmann in February, the expectation was that may top candidates would be considered for the job. However, Jake Diebler stood out in his stint as interim coach and gained enough internal support to receive his chance.
Keeping the roster together will be a major plus for Diebler. The real question that hangs over this hire is the same one that all promotions face: What would the outside options have looked like?
Oklahoma State
Out: Mike Boynton
In: Steve Lutz
Grade: B+
After letting go of Mike Boynton, Oklahoma State looks forward to putting NCAA issues behind them and starting a new era with a fast riser in the college coaching ranks. Steve Lutz comes to the Big 12 with three straight NCAA Tournament appearances at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Western Kentucky. An upset win along the way has helped him make a meteoric rise.
Lutz has spent time under Greg McDermott and Matt Painter before getting his first head coaching job, giving him a degree of pedigree and experience working at the top level of college basketball.
SMU
Out: Rob Lanier
In: Andy Enfield
Grade: B
Hiring Andy Enfield is exactly the type of move SMU wanted to make ahead of the jump into the high-major ranks in the ACC. However, the laundry list of names linked to this job and the disappointing 2023-24 campaign leave questions to be answered.
Enfield has done well on the recruiting trail in the Pac-12 and arrives in another big city for this new job. His ability to sell SMU without the historic pedigree of his last stop will determine his level of success.
Stanford
Out: Jerod Haase
In: Kyle Smith
Grade: B+
Stanford heads to the ACC with a new head coach who overachieved at San Francisco and Washington State. Kyle Smith also brings East Coast experience from his time at Columbia, where he overcame many of the challenges he inherits again.
Academic restrictions are a roadblock for Stanford, making the transfer portal a difficult resource to maximize. Smith’s experience in the Ivy League could prove valuable in navigating it.
USC
Out: Andy Enfield
In: Eric Musselman
Grade: A
Losing Andy Enfield to SMU was a big hit for a proud program to take this offseason. However, the athletic department bounced back by hiring one of the most successful coaches of the past decade in college basketball with connections to California.
The 2023-24 Arkansas team was a disaster. And the need to bounce back himself is the only roadblock from this becoming an A+ hire.
Vanderbilt
Out: Jerry Stackhouse
In: Mark Byington
Grade: B-
Vanderbilt got up off the floor in the SEC standings under Jerry Stackhouse but never reached the competitive levels they hoped for. In comes Mark Byington after a successful run with James Madison. Time will tell if he can build on progress.
Byington made the most of his first NCAA Tournament appearance, knocking out Wisconsin. However, he lacks high-major experience even as an assistant, with two stints with Virginia and Virginia Tech which lasted one year each.
Washington
Out: Mike Hopkins
In: Danny Sprinkle
Grade: B
Washington has struggled to compete at the top of the Pac-12, and now makes a move the much more competitive Big Ten. The need for immediate improvement makes Danny Sprinkle the perfect candidate. Just look at his achievements at Utah State.
Questions remain how quickly Sprinkle can build an NCAA Tournament roster in the Big Ten, especially since he has never coached at the high-major level before. However, his one-year stint in the Mountain West was enough evidence to bet on.
West Virginia
Out: Bob Huggins/Josh Eilert
In: Darian DeVries
Grade: A
West Virginia went with an interim coach for the 2023-24 season but struggled from start to finish. The decision might have paid off in the long-term however, with Darian DeVries now coaching the Mountaineers. One of the top mid-major coaches of the past several seasons, he now makes the high-major leap.
Bringing his son Tucker with him would be a good start to the offseason, but his 73.2% career winning percentage and three NCAA Tournament appearances in four seasons should have fans most excited about the future.
Open jobs
One high-major job remain open as the coaching carousel spins, with more jobs to open as names shift locations throughout the cycle. The revolving door of coaches is still not over.
Remaining jobs with vacancy to fill: BYU
The list for BYU will likely include a few names from the high-major ranks, as well as some mid-major names and possibly and assistant coach or two. The Big 12 label on the program and the talent left on the roster will make this job an interesting one to follow.