Despite the fact that a week remains in the regular season, a handful of ACC schools that have struggled this season have already made up their minds about the futures of the program. Among the 18 schools in this conference, two currently have interim head coaches and another already announced their retirement, but we’re a little surprised that several other schools seem willing to ride with their current head coaches.
Per sources to @TheFieldOf68, in addition to Mike Young returning to Virginia Tech, I also expect Earl Grant (BC), Hubert Davis (UNC), Red Autry (Syracuse) and Steve Forbes (Wake Forest) back next season in the ACC.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 3, 2025
We’re just going to take a few moments to look at a few ACC teams and wonder if they’re making the right decision by sticking with their head coaches or if a change should be in order. Only a few of these schools have publicly thrown support behind their current leaders, but we’ll do our best to figure out if change will come to these ACC programs following a pretty rough year for the league as a whole.
Boston College
Earl Grant nears the end of his fourth season with the Eagles and it has actually been the worst since he arrived at Chestnut Hill, with Boston College just 4-14 in the league, tied for 16th place. The former Charleston head coach inherited a program with rather low expectations but his 27-51 mark in conference play is still disappointing. We’ve heard that he’ll be back for year five next season, and while his team did win 20 games last year it’s almost time to wonder if Boston College needs to really invest in this program with a more splashy hire.
NC State
Kevin Keatts bought himself serious time as a result of last year’s incredible run with an ACC Tournament title and wild trip to the Final Four. However, NC State is just 11-18, near the bottom of the league standings, and hasn’t won a single game away from home this season. Did he actually buy himself considerable time last season or should change come to Raleigh? After all, his Wolfpack weren’t even at .500 in league play before that March push last season.
North Carolina
Ever since he succeeded Roy Williams in 2021 it’s been an up and down journey for Hubert Davis and these Tar Heels. North Carolina made the national title game in his first season and won the regular season title in the ACC last season, but this has been another disappointment, with the Tar Heels in danger of missing the Big Dance yet again. North Carolina has announced further investment into the basketball program and the hiring of a general manager, but are they making a mistake sticking with Davis after some inconsistent results?
Pittsburgh
After four straight seasons under .500, Jeff Capel led Pittsburgh to a fantastic season in 2023, finishing 3rd in the ACC and getting back to the Big Dance for the first time in seven years. Last season saw the Panthers on the wrong side of the bubble, but the program has backtracked a bit this year. This team looked like it would dance a month ago but has really tumbled in ACC; not the way Capel wanted his seventh season to progress. Has he actually done enough to earn an eighth year with the Panthers in spite of this mediocrity?
Syracuse
A former Syracuse point guard in the 90’s, Adrian Autry had been an assistant under Jim Boeheim for twelve years before succeeding the longtime coach back in 2023. Unfortunately, he just hasn’t had results in his two seasons at the helm. The Orange won 20 games and just missed the Tourney field last year but this year has been a mess, with Syracuse at just 12-17 and buried in the league standings. Giving a coach just two years seems a bit impatient, though at some point the trajectory of this program becomes a legitimate worry, though Autry has and should be given a third chance.
Virginia Tech
When he was hired in 2019, Mike Young came from great success at Wofford and inherited a program fresh off a trip to the Sweet Sixteen. He took the Hokies to two quick trips to the Big Dance but the last three years have been far less successful. Virginia Tech sits just 13-16 and look likely to finish below .500 for the first time in Young’s tenure and will certainly miss the NCAA Tournament again barring a postseason run. We’ve seen some disappointment down the stretch in recent years and its fair to wonder if Young should get another chance after six years in Blacksburg.
Wake Forest
A blowout loss to Duke on Monday really punctuated another underwhelming season for Steve Forbes and this Wake Forest team. He may have won 25 games in his second season, but his fifth year looks like it’ll finish just like the others: short of the NCAA Tournament. Forbes has been able to win games with the Demon Deacons and his team will finish comfortably in the top half of the ACC standings but falling short once again just isn’t acceptable. Forbes should get another chance, but six years without reaching the Tourney would be pretty dire.