"The men’s college basketball coaching carousel never stops spinning, with four job openings in September alone thanks to
some early fall chaos. That could be an early sign of an active cycle to come next spring, and some of the top jobs may open via firing or retirement.
Who are some of the top names to watch that could be next in line to fill high-major openings? Sports Illustrated has you covered with insights on coaches who could pop up as prime candidates next spring.
Josh Schertz, Saint Louis
The darling of the 2024 carousel after a 32-win season at Indiana State, Schertz could easily be a top target yet again this spring if his Billikens take a step forward in his second year there. Regarded as one of the sharpest offensive minds in the sport, Schertz has built a very talented roster featuring bespectacled sensation Robbie Avila and a number of highly regarded transfers. After seeing the consistent improvement over his three years at Indiana State, it’s easy to bet on a Year 2 jump for Schertz and the Billikens. If he can get Saint Louis to the NCAA tournament, some of the biggest jobs could come calling.
Drew Valentine, Loyola Chicago
Valentine is entering Year 5 as Loyola’s head coach but is just 34 years old after taking over for Porter Moser weeks before his 30th birthday. He has maintained the success the Ramblers had under Moser despite a move up from the Missouri Valley to the Atlantic 10, winning a combined 48 games over the last two seasons and taking Loyola to the NIT semifinals in 2024–25. He has another strong roster on paper this season anchored by star center Miles Rubin, who decided to stay with Valentine in Chicago despite considerable interest from high-major programs. The brother of former Michigan State All-American Denzel Valentine and son of another Spartan player Carlton Valentine, Drew has regularly been brought up as a successor to Tom Izzo if and when Izzo elects to retire. That won’t stop other top programs from inquiring though if Valentine’s success continues.
Tony Skinn, George Mason
Skinn has done an outstanding job in his first two seasons at his alma mater, reestablishing the program’s elite defensive culture that started when he was a player on George Mason’s 2006 Final Four team. Skinn gets his players to play incredibly hard, and Mason overachieved based on its talent level pretty substantially a year ago en route to a 27-win campaign and a trip to the A-10 title game. Skinn will have a new-look roster in 2025–26, but talent-wise the Patriots have enough to stay in the top tier of the A-10. If that happens, he should get plenty of attention from across the high-major ranks, especially considering how down the Mason program had been in the decade after Jim Larrañaga’s departure."
