Trending Now - UNC Parts Ways With Hubert Davis Amid Coaching Shakeup

WHO:

Brad Stevens, 49, has been the President of Basketball Operations for the Boston Celtics since 2021.

Joel Berry, UNC great, stated, "I thought [they] would show a little grace and then maybe laying out the plan for what things look like moving forward."

Hubert Davis stated, "My desire was to continue to coach here," in a post on social media after his firing.

Joel Berry commented on the situation, saying, "I thought [they] would show a little grace and then maybe laying out the plan for what things look like moving forward."

Joel Berry, UNC great, commented on Hubert Davis' firing, stating, "I wasn’t surprised at all."

Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations, has removed his name from consideration for the UNC head coaching job.

Scott Drew, head coach at Baylor, is mentioned as a potential candidate for the UNC head coaching position.

Nate Oats, head coach at Alabama, is also considered a candidate for the UNC head coaching position.

Jay Wright, former head coach at Villanova, is mentioned as a potential candidate for the UNC head coaching position.

Kenny Smith, former UNC player and TNT basketball analyst, is mentioned as a potential candidate for the UNC head coaching position.

Hubert Davis, head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels

Bubba Cunningham, athletics director at UNC

Steve Newmark, incoming athletics director at UNC

Caleb Wilson, star player for UNC

Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations

Various potential coaching candidates including Tommy Lloyd, Dusty May, T.J. Otzelberger, and Billy Donovan

WHAT:

The North Carolina Tar Heels ended the 2025-26 season with a record of 24-9, including a 19-point lead blown in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against VCU.

The Tar Heels' roster payroll was reported to be approximately $14 million for the 2025-26 season.

Nate Oats, head coach at Alabama, has a buyout of approximately $18 million, which drops to $10 million on April 1st, 2026.

The North Carolina roster payroll was reported to be approximately $14 million for the 2025-26 season, which is on the higher end of Power Five spending.

Davis is owed a buyout of approximately $5.3 million, with UNC stating it would honor the terms of his contract.

The Tar Heels ended the 2025-26 season with a record of 24-9, including a 19-point lead blown in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against VCU.

The North Carolina roster payroll was reported to be approximately $14 million for the 2025-26 season, which is on the higher end of Power Five spending.

An anonymous ACC coach expressed that "no one was scared of Hubert Davis," indicating a lack of fear among rivals regarding his coaching.

Hubert Davis stated, "My desire was to continue to coach here," in a post on social media after his firing.

Davis is owed a buyout of more than $5 million, with UNC stating it would honor the terms of his contract.

The Tar Heels ended the 2025-26 season with a record of 24-9.

The loss to VCU marked the largest blown lead in a loss in the first round of an NCAA Tournament game.

Hubert Davis was fired as head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels on March 24th, 2026.

Davis had a record of 125-54 during his five seasons as head coach.

UNC lost to VCU, 82-78, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament after leading by 19 points.

This marked the second consecutive year that UNC exited in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Davis was owed over $5 million in guaranteed money remaining on his contract.

Davis signed a two-year extension in July 2025, extending his contract through the 2029-30 season.

WHERE:

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

WHEN:

Hubert Davis was fired on March 24th, 2026.

The Tar Heels lost to VCU on March 21st, 2026.

Davis's contract extension was signed in July 2025.

WHY:

Joel Berry noted that weakening donor support for roster management and increasing roster costs in the NIL era were factors in the decision to part ways with Davis, stating, "When you’re a coach right now and you get to a point where your donors, your boosters... say, ‘We’re going to handcuff you and not give you money to go out and get what you need,’ you’ve lost."

Joel Berry noted that weakening donor support for roster management and increasing roster costs in the NIL era were factors in the decision to part ways with Davis, stating, "When you get to that point and if you’re the AD or the administration, when you hear language like that, there has to be movement."

Weakening donor support for roster management and the lack of sustained high-level success influenced the decision to fire Davis.

The decision to fire Davis was influenced by a lack of sustained high-level success and weakening donor support for roster management.

The loss to VCU triggered an emotional response from the UNC fan base and donors.

HOW:

Officials met with Davis over the last four days to discuss potential changes to the program before the decision to fire him was made.

Conversations about Davis' future were ongoing among North Carolina fans and administrators since the previous year when the Tar Heels were the last team selected for the NCAA Tournament.

Officials met with Davis over the last four days to discuss potential changes to the program before the decision to fire him was made.

UNC conducted meetings with Davis over four days before making the decision to fire him.

Davis informed his team of his departure on the evening of March 24th, 2026.

(UPDATED March 26, 2026 21:06 UTC)

The North Carolina Tar Heels wrapped up the 2025-26 season with a record of 24 wins and 9 losses, which included a disappointing first-round exit in the NCAA Tournament after blowing a 19-point lead against VCU. Following a series of meetings over the past four days, the university decided to part ways with head coach Hubert Davis, a move influenced by declining donor support and rising roster costs in the NIL era. Joel Berry, a standout from UNC, expressed his disappointment, suggesting that the program's leadership should have shown more grace and outlined a clear plan for the future.

(UPDATED March 26, 2026 13:20 UTC)

Hubert Davis expressed his desire to continue coaching at North Carolina in a social media post following his firing, while Joel Berry commented on the situation, suggesting that the program could have shown more grace in outlining future plans. The Tar Heels, who ended the season with a record of 24 wins and 9 losses, faced challenges with a roster payroll of about $14 million and a buyout of approximately $5.3 million owed to Davis. Berry pointed to weakening donor support and rising roster costs in the NIL era as key factors that contributed to the decision to part ways with Davis.

(UPDATED March 26, 2026 11:15 UTC)

Joel Berry, a standout from UNC, commented on Hubert Davis' firing, saying he wasn't surprised at all, while noting that weakening donor support and rising roster costs in the NIL era likely influenced the decision. The North Carolina roster payroll for the 2025-26 season is reported to be around $14 million, placing it on the higher end of Power Five spending, and an anonymous ACC coach mentioned that rivals felt no fear of Davis' coaching. Discussions about Davis' future had been ongoing among North Carolina fans and administrators since the previous year, when the Tar Heels were the last team selected for the NCAA Tournament.

(UPDATED March 26, 2026 03:51 UTC)

Brad Stevens, the Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations, has taken his name out of consideration for the head coaching position at UNC, while Scott Drew from Baylor, Nate Oats from Alabama, Jay Wright, the former head coach at Villanova, and Kenny Smith, a former UNC player and TNT analyst, are all being considered as potential candidates. Hubert Davis expressed his desire to continue coaching at UNC in a social media post following his firing, which comes after a season where the Tar Heels finished with a record of 24 wins and 9 losses, and suffered the largest blown lead in a first-round NCAA Tournament loss. The decision to let Davis go was influenced by declining donor support for roster management and a lack of sustained success, following discussions with him over the past four days about potential changes to the program.

(UPDATED March 26, 2026 00:27 UTC)

Hubert Davis was fired as head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels on March 24, 2026, following a disappointing exit from the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels lost to VCU, 82 to 78, after leading by 19 points, marking the second consecutive year they were eliminated in the first round. During his five seasons at the helm, Davis compiled a record of 125 wins to 54 losses, but the decision to part ways was influenced by a lack of sustained success and waning support from donors. Davis had recently signed a two-year contract extension in July 2025, which included over $5 million in guaranteed money remaining. He informed his team of his departure on the evening of his firing, after UNC held four days of meetings to discuss his future.