Kansas State struck first, and Jerome Tang is out of a job. The Wildcats and Tang are locked in an interesting battle for a reduced buyout, where K-State wants to pay zero dollars, and Tang wants them to pay 18.7M.
There’s been some back and forth between the two sides, and it will eventually get resolved, but that’s not what we’re here to talk about. We want to know who’s next, and who is officially on the chopping block as the season ends.
LIKELY SUSPECTS
Wes Miller, Cincinnati
To be honest, if you polled fans to decide which coach would be fired next, I would imagine most would say Miller before even Jerome Tang. His tenure with the Bearcats has been mild at best, with a 96-71 record to show for it, and a conference record of 38-49. They haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament since2019, and that’s just not going to fly at a place like Cincinnati.
Bobby Hurley, Arizona State
Bobby Hurley is definitely a coach in need of firing. That said, he’s in the last year of his contract, and it officially ends on June 30th, 2026. He’s struggled in Tempe, and with success on the basketball court for the women, and big-time success on the football field for Kenny Dillingham, the Sun Devils will be looking to bring in a new coach who can instantly improve the culture and get the team back to relevance.
GETTING WARMER
Jamie Dixon, TCU
Jamie Dixon is such an interesting coach. He’s a frequent flyer on the hot seat, yet he has some incredible teams to show for. The polarizing nature of where the program’s been for the past nine seasons has been a spectacle. If TCU is going to make a move, it doesn’t feel like it would be a unanimous thing, as Dixon has made the NCAA Tournament three times in the last four seasons. Still, his conference record leaves a lot to be desired (69-93), and in a league like the Big 12, if you can’t compete, others will.
Alex Jensen, Utah
Now this one requires some nuance. Is a first-year head coach ever really on the hot seat? Not entirely, but Alex Jensen brought an NBA background and an impressive recruiting pedigree to Salt Lake City, and it hasn’t quite translated into anything tangible. Still, take this with a grain of salt as it’s only year one, and the donors aren’t going to pull the plug on somebody after their first year at the helm. His Utes sit in dead last in the Big 12, tied with Kansas State at 1-11 in conference play and 9-16 overall.
COOLING OFF
Johnny Dawkins, UCF
Has Johnny Dawkins‘ seat officially cooled off? Probably not, but it is nowhere near where it’s been the past few seasons, and the Knights have a legitimate shot to reach the Big Dance in 2025-26. They’re on the bubble, and in a year where most expected them to fail, Dawkins has stabilized the ship and has them right where they want to be. Now it’s just about avoiding any major flops in the final few weeks.
