The coaching carousel took a surprising spin on Monday after the University of Utah announced the firing of fourth-year HC Craig Smith. The firing timing comes as a surprise to many, especially considering Utah knocked off Kansas nine days ago. However, the Utes were closing in on its ninth straight year without an NCAA Tournament -- which proved to be the ultimate final straw in AD’s Mark Harlan's surprise decision.
In an age and era of college basketball where turning around a program can be (almost) instantaneous, there’s no question that patience wears thin amongst ADs across the country. And maybe Craig Smith’s surprising firing may be the tip of the iceberg of an extremely busy coaching carousel this spring. Simply put, nobody is off the hook.
With that being said, take a look at five coaches in danger of being fired by the season’s end.
Johnny Dawkins, UCF Knights
After looking the part of an at-large-worthy team for the first half of the season, The Knights went through a brutal stretch in February, dropping seven straight games, and falling from the bubble conversation entirely. After its 104-95 loss to Oklahoma State last Wednesday, transfer guard Keyshawn Hall voiced his support for Dawkins via X:
LOVE YALL and SORRY❤️⚔️🙏 pic.twitter.com/FeGIuxCk53
— xkeyy (@xkeyy2) February 20, 2025
While it's always a positive sign to see the players back their coach, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if the school looks to go in another direction this spring. Although Dawkins has built UCF into a respectable, frisky opponent in the grueling Big 12, the Knights are on the verge of missing their sixth straight NCAA Tournament since their infamous, painstaking loss to Duke in 2019.
Names to watch if Johnny Dawkins is fired: Alan Huss (High Point), Bryan Hodgson (Arkansas), Bucky McMillan (Samford).
Bobby Hurley, Arizona State Sun Devils
Similar to UCF, Arizona State was looking the part of an NCAA Tournament team during the first half of the season after an impressive start amidst a grueling non-conference slate. But the wheels on the bus in Tempe have begun to fall off.
Arizona State is just 4-12 in the Big 12 and hasn’t found any sort of consistency during Bobby Hurley's 10 years in Tempe. While there have certainly been many highs -- such as climbing to 3rd in the AP Top 25 in 2017 -- three NCAA Tournament appearances in 10 years is not exactly a vote of confidence for AD Graham Rossini. (Oddly enough, Arizona State’s three NCAA Tournament appearances all started in the First Four).
Names to watch if Bobby Hurley is fired: Niko Medved (Colorado State), Bryce Drew (Grand Canyon), Joe Pasternack (UC Santa Barbara), Eric Olen (UC San Diego).
Fran McCaffery, Iowa Hawkeyes
While the word “fired” would not seem fair for the long-tenured Fran McCaffery, the all-time winningest coach in Iowa basketball history, an amicable parting of ways may be on the table in Iowa City this spring.
The bottom line: things have gotten pretty stale for the Hawkeyes. And the Iowa faithful are growing restless. At just 15-12 (6-10), the Hawkeyes are set to miss the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year under McCaffery.
While McCaffery has unquestionably resurrected Iowa into a model of consistency along with developing some very talented players along the way, the NCAA Tournament struggles loom large for a program that hasn’t reached the second weekend since Tom Davis’ 1999 team.
Four interesting names to keep an eye out for if Iowa and Fran McCaffery mutually part ways: Darian DeVries (West Virginia), Steve Forbes (Wake Forest), Chris Jans (Mississippi State) and Ben McCollum (Drake).
Adrian Autry, Syracuse Orange
Replacing legendary Jim Boeheim was never going to be an easy feat but the early returns in upstate New York leave plenty to be desired under second-year HC Adrian Autry. Syracuse is just 11-16 (5-11) in a historically bad ACC. And the steep fall from grace has questioned whether Adrian Autry is the right man for the job moving forward.
While the Orange have reportedly faced their fair share of NIL struggles this season, prompting the athletic department to launch a sweeping $50 million NIL campaign (pending approval of House v. NCAA settlement), the lackluster product on the hardwood will make for a challenging and interesting decision to monitor this spring.
Names to replace Adrian Autry: Mitch Henderson (Princeton) and Ryan Odom (VCU).
Earl Grant, Boston College Eagles
After guiding Boston College to the NIT in 2024, Earl Grant and the Boston College Eagles have taken a massive step back in 2025 after losing the entirety of its starting five. While the 6-1 start to this season was a pleasant surprise, the Eagles are 6-14 since.
Given the difficult obstacles surrounding the Boston College job, giving Grant another year to right the ship is not out of the equation, especially for a program that hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2009.
But at the end of the day, your record is your record -- and a .355 winning percentage in ACC play won’t silence any hot seat chatter for the time being.
Two names to replace Earl Grant: Tony Skinn (George Mason), and Phil Martelli Jr. (Bryant).