College basketball is seeing a new generation of coaches rise up to claim their spots at the head of the sport’s table. With national-title winners from the past 15 years such as Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, Tony Bennett, Jay Wright and Jim Calhoun gone, a generational changing of the guard is underway.
Dan Hurley of UConn busted down the door with back-to-back national championships in 2023 and 2024 to claim his spot as one of the premier coaches in the game, and Todd Golden followed by leading Florida to a national-title last season. The next 5-10 years promise to bring several more first-time national title winners.
Championship-winning coaches Rick Pitino of St. John’s and Tom Izzo of Michigan State will coach the 2025-26 season as members of the 70+ club. John Calipari of Arkansas is in the 65+ club. Right behind him in the 60+ division is Bill Self of Kansas.
Of course, there are still plenty of great coaches in the 60+ crowd on the hunt for their first national title, including Kelvin Sampson of Houston, Mark Few of Gonzaga, Bruce Pearl of Auburn and Rick Barnes of Tennessee, just to name a few.
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Matt Norlander
But as they navigate the twilight of their careers, a wave of championship-caliber coaches is rising behind them. So, who will be the next coach to win their first national title? Will he come from the middle-aged division or the 60+ crew? Our writers made their picks for this week’s Dribble Handoff.
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