Mike Krzyzewski has revealed that he is not in the running to become the next head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels following the firing of Hubert Davis. UNC parted ways with Davis after a disappointing first-round exit in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Davis led UNC to a runner-up finish in the NCAA Tournament in his first season with the program. But after back-to-back first-round exits, the Tar Heels decided that it was time to make a coaching change.
Mike Krzyzewski Reacts to UNC Firing Hubert Davis
Krzyzewski appeared on the “Pat McAfee Show” on Friday, where he shared his thoughts on UNC’s decision to part ways with Davis. “Coach K” was quick to distance himself from the Tar Heels’ job and shared that he had a lot of empathy for Davis following his dismissal.
“Hubert Davis is a good friend and I think he’s a great guy..
It was sad seeing what happened and I have a lot of empathy for him..
North Carolina is one of the greatest programs of all time and that’s a big time position in sport”
Coach K #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/rQ3pAaKfYV
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 27, 2026
“One, they would not want me to coach them,” Krzyzewski said. “The second thing is I’m through with coaching. Hubert Davis is a good friend and I think he’s a great guy. I’m sad that that happened. I think every coach in the country has sympathy for him.”
MARCH MADNESS: Fill In Your Bracket Now!
Coach K also noted that the injury to freshman forward and top scorer Caleb Wilson hurt the Tar Heels’ chances of making a deep run in March Madness.
“You lose a player the caliber of Caleb Wilson — he’s a top-5 pick in the NBA draft — and you don’t have him the last few weeks of the season, that’s a big thing,” he added. “That’s a huge thing. UNC can do what they want to do but I just have a lot of empathy for Hubert and a lot of respect for him.”
Krzyzewski also called the UNC coaching job “one of the big-time positions in sport,” and backed the program in its search for a talented coach to replace Davis.
“It’s one of the great programs of all time in any sport and I’m sure they will get a coach that’s worthy of that position. It’s one of the big-time positions in sports.”
Davis leaves UNC with an overall win-loss record of 125-54. One of those wins came in what proved to be Coach K’s final game as head coach in 2022, when UNC defeated the Duke Blue Devils 81-77 in the NCAA Tournament Final Four. In the final, North Carolina lost 72-69 to the Kansas Jayhawks.
The former New York Knicks player was named the ACC Coach of the Year in 2024 after leading UNC to the regular-season conference title. This season, UNC finished with a 24-9 overall record.
