However, Donovan is serious enough about the UNC job that he has already begun discussing his potential staff were he to accept a Tar Heels offer, according to two sources. That staff would likely include several people who were with Donovan at Florida in some capacity, sources said, including at least one who is an active college assistant.<\/p>\n
Donovan has also called at least one prominent high-major assistant with whom he had no prior ties, a source briefed on the search added.<\/p>\n
UNC stakeholders believe that Donovan \u2014 between his prior college success and his NBA pedigree \u2014 would have little trouble luring talent to Chapel Hill, to say nothing of his X\u2019s and O\u2019s acumen.<\/p>\n
If not Donovan, North Carolina would move to its next tier of candidates.<\/p>\n
That group would include, in no particular order: Vanderbilt\u2019s Mark Byington, Iowa\u2019s Ben McCollum, Iowa State\u2019s TJ Otzelberger (who UNC previously contacted this cycle), Baylor\u2019s Scott Drew, Saint Louis\u2019 Josh Schertz and former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone, an ESPN analyst who is a coaching free agent.<\/p>\n
However, industry sources doubt how many \u2014 if any \u2014 of those candidates would seriously work for UNC.<\/p>\n
Byington recently signed a contract extension with Vanderbilt, and industry sources said his buyout is $10 million-$11 million, a high price tag for a coach who has yet to make a Sweet 16. Byington, though, would have interest if offered.<\/p>\n
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\n Mark Byington recently signed a contract extension at Vanderbilt, but he could still be on UNC\u2019s list as the search drags on. (Johnnie Izquierdo \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Then there\u2019s McCollum, who led Iowa to the Elite Eight<\/a> in his first season with the Hawkeyes, but who multiple industry sources said is highly unlikely to take the UNC job even if offered. McCollum, 44, is an Iowa City native and lifelong Midwesterner who is comfortable in his current role \u2014 and who, were he to leave for a blue blood, would seemingly be a much better fit at Kansas when Bill Self retires.<\/p>\n Otzelberger, 48, already signed a contract extension this cycle, and despite leading Iowa State to three Sweet 16 appearances in the past five seasons, is not considered a cultural fit at UNC, according to multiple sources briefed on North Carolina\u2019s thinking. The same applies to Schertz, 50, who rebuffed an offer from NC State in March and who signed a lucrative extension with SLU weeks ago. Schertz is considered a rising star in the industry and will be one of the top candidates for high-major jobs in next spring\u2019s coaching carousel.<\/p>\n As for Drew, 55, who won a national title at Baylor in 2021, North Carolina has kicked his name around but has yet to seriously engage him about the job, according to two sources. Drew previously turned down the Kentucky job<\/a> in 2024 despite close ties to then-athletic director Mitch Barnhart. While industry sources expect that Drew \u2014 who went 17-17 this season and missed the NCAA Tournament \u2014 would be interested in UNC, especially with better financial backing than he has at Baylor, there\u2019s been little movement to suggest he\u2019s a serious candidate.<\/p>\n That could change, however, if Donovan opts not to take the job. Drew\u2019s buyout is considered manageable.<\/p>\n Lastly, there\u2019s Malone, 54, who won an NBA title with the Denver Nuggets in 2023 before being fired late in the 2024-25 season. Multiple sources briefed on UNC\u2019s thinking said Malone \u2014 whose daughter plays volleyball at UNC and who was around the program last season \u2014 has caught the attention of former players and longtime program supporters. His understanding of modern basketball trends \u2014 including accentuating three-time MVP Nikola Jokic \u2014 is intriguing from an X\u2019s and O\u2019s standpoint and would seemingly appeal to top talent that aspires to play at the next level. Malone\u2019s time with Jokic means he is also familiar with Jokic\u2019s agent, Misko Raznatovic, who also represents many top international recruits attempting to play college basketball.<\/p>\n Raznatovic has attended the last two Final Fours, including this year\u2019s in Indianapolis, where several of his clients played for No. 3 Illinois<\/a>.<\/p>\n But like with Donovan, there are questions. Is Malone a serious candidate for any of the expected NBA vacancies this summer? He has not coached in college since 2001, when he was an assistant at Manhattan, making his staff hires more important for networking and recruiting. He is even more of an outside-the-box candidate than Donovan, who at least won NCAA championships and has ties to many working in the sport.<\/p>\n North Carolina can still quickly wrap matters up by hiring Donovan, which is the most likely outcome at this time \u2014 but if it doesn\u2019t, then UNC\u2019s search may extend beyond what the school anticipated when it first fired Davis.<\/p>\n If there\u2019s anything to take away from UNC\u2019s search thus far, it\u2019s this: Many of the built-in advantages that blue bloods once possessed no longer reign supreme in the modern era of college basketball.<\/p>\n