College basketball claimed one of its most high-profile victims when North Carolina fired head coach Hubert Davis on Tuesday. Davis’ firing followed a week of speculation after the No. 6-seeded Tar Heels were upset 82-78 in overtime by the No. 11-seeded VCU Rams in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
The Tar Heels are one of the blue bloods of college basketball, and Davis’ dismissal has led to widespread discourse over the possible candidates to take over the lucrative ACC job.
Stephen A. Smith Blasted for North Carolina Tar Heels Coaching Take
During Wednesday’s segment of the “First Take” show, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith advocated for the Tar Heels to hire program legend and ESPN analyst Kenny Smith to be their next head coach.
“Knowing North Carolina, they’re looking internally first. … I believe that Kenny ‘The Jet’ Smith is that dude,” Stephen A. Smith said. “Make sure that he has no desire whatsoever to be the next coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels. But if he wants that job, you don’t even think about interviewing another coach. You hire Kenny Smith.”
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After Stephen’s assertion about Kenny’s suitability for the North Carolina job, “Field of 68” founder and former ESPN analyst Jeff Goodman blasted his knowledge of college basketball by quote-tweeting a clip of the “First Take” show on X.
“Love that this guy is gonna weigh in on a sport he probably hasn’t watched in a decade or so,” Goodman wrote about Stephen.
“Knowing North Carolina, they’re looking internally first. … I believe that Kenny “The Jet” Smith is that dude.”
—@stephenasmith on his pick for the next UNC men’s basketball head coach 👀 pic.twitter.com/G4s4MS6DNm
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 25, 2026
Kenny is a UNC legend who played for the Tar Heels between 1983 and 1987, including one season alongside Michael Jordan, and helped lead them to two ACC regular-season championships and two Elite Eight appearances.
Stephen further suggested that Kenny would give the Tar Heels a leg up in their recruitment battles against the Duke Blue Devils.
MORE: UNC Fires Hubert Davis After Historic VCU Collapse, Blue Blood in Crisis During March Madness
“There’s no way that [Jon Scheyer] has the top recruiting class in four of his five years at Duke if Kenny Smith is at North Carolina,” Stephen said. “Somebody is coming to North Carolina if Kenny Smith is at North Carolina. … I believe that Kenny Smith, Kenny The Jet Smith, you put him at North Carolina, the eyes of the basketball world would be on Duke-North Carolina.”
Reports indicate that for the first time since 1952, when North Carolina hired Frank McGuire from St. John’s, the Tar Heels are conducting an open search and considering an appointment with no prior connection to the program.
