Top College Basketball Coaches on the Rise for High-Major Jobs

A look at the mid-major head coaches who could be in line for bigger jobs after the 2025-26 season.

Jan. 30, 2026 at 5:39am

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College basketball is past the midway point of the regular season, and a few low- and mid-major programs are starting to pull away as the top contenders from outside the power conferences to make the 2026 NCAA men's tournament. That means the coaches of those smaller programs are also starting to gain attention across the sport — potentially even for jobs at bigger programs once the coaching carousel starts.

Why it matters

In recent years, several mid-major coaches have made the jump to power programs, with the success of coaches like Will Wade, Bucky McMillan, and Richard Pitino showing that the mid-major ranks can be a fertile ground for finding top coaching talent. As the 2025-26 season approaches, a new crop of mid-major coaches are emerging as potential candidates for high-major jobs.

The details

The article highlights several mid-major head coaches who could be in line for bigger jobs after this season, including Josh Schertz of Saint Louis, Jerrod Calhoun of Utah State, Takayo Siddle of UNC Wilmington, Travis Steele of Miami (Ohio), Tony Skinn of George Mason, Eric Olen of New Mexico, Bryan Hodgson of South Florida, Scott Cross of Troy, and Ryan Miller of Murray State. These coaches have led their teams to strong starts this season, with several of them guiding their programs to national rankings and tournament contention.

  • College basketball is past the midway point of the 2025-26 regular season.
  • The coaches highlighted in the article could be in line for high-major jobs after the 2025-26 season.

The players

Josh Schertz

The 50-year-old head coach of Saint Louis, who has led the Billikens to a 20-1 record and a No. 22 ranking in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll this season.

Jerrod Calhoun

The head coach of Utah State, who was hired away from Youngstown State and led the Aggies to a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament in his first season in 2024-25.

Takayo Siddle

The 39-year-old head coach of UNC Wilmington, who has a 122-49 record through six seasons and led the Seahawks to a tournament appearance last season.

Travis Steele

The head coach of Miami (Ohio), who has turned around the RedHawks' program after a rough start, leading them to a 21-0 record and one of the fastest-paced offenses in the country.

Tony Skinn

The first-time head coach at his alma mater, George Mason, who has led the Patriots to a 19-2 record and second place in the Atlantic 10 standings.

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The takeaway

The mid-major coaching ranks continue to produce talented head coaches who are capable of leading high-major programs, as evidenced by the success of coaches like Will Wade, Bucky McMillan, and Richard Pitino in recent years. The coaches highlighted in this article have proven their ability to build winning programs at the mid-major level and could be in line for bigger jobs after the 2025-26 season.