Hypothetically, all 15 coaching jobs become available the same day. Extreme, but assume the current rosters are wiped, and you have to build a team through NIL/the portal for next year, but still have to construct the roster in a way that you’re set up for future success too. Obviously big factors are history, media exposure, facilities, location, fan support. In my rankings, I’m not getting too hung up/focused on just the last year or two. I’ll go:
UNC
Duke
Louisville
NCSU
UVa
Syracuse
Wake
Notre Dame
GT
Pitt
Miami
Clemson
FSU
VT
BC
Think the one I struggled most with is Miami. Location great, NIL seems generous, have some history. But poor fan support, and no one thinks Miami (even when they’re good) when they think ACC hoops.
It’s weird with BC…I feel like one of their bigger advantages (Boston) is also a negative. Boston is a pro sports town, and they have some pretty amazing pro sports franchises…college sports just isn’t a draw. And for a Catholic kid who actually wants to play in the ACC, Notre Dame is the preferred option.
Agree, but I think getting to play UConn Providence Johnnies Hoyas would be marginally better for fan support, recruiting, etc.
Take a kid like Karaban, Power - pitch is stay home and get to play schools from all over the South mid Atlantic that you and your family and buddies don’t really care about, plus ND who you would’ve found a way to play anyway.
If UVA and NCSU came open, NCSU would be viewed as a sleeping giant and UVA would be viewed as a good job. Not saying I agree with that but I think most coaches would go for NCSU
Last thought on BC - for me, there’s a cautionary tale there and why I dislike some of the “hooray for realignment” stuff I sometimes read. Downside is BC. Upside is mostly smaller programs who were swept upward (Eg UCF).
That’s different criteria. State being a “sleeping giant” is more about them sucking for decades than anything else. UVA is still a “better” job for the reasons I mentioned. Qualified candidates would likely pick UVA over State.
The list looks pretty good to me. For the sake of argument I think you could move any of the 4-9 teams and it would not make a major difference. (Not saying the Hoos would be the 9th best job but in this scenario I could hear the argument.) The Cuse Wake ND GT is the hard one for me to figure out all have some legit upsides and major holes and I think it would all come down to the type of coach/personality more than the school
Yeah, Cuse is another weird one for me. Based on history, they should be just behind Duke & UNC, on par with Louisville. But Boeheim was there for so long, their biggest rivals are from the old Big East, I wouldn’t want to play 15+ games per year in a makeshift football stadium, and as someone who doesn’t like cold weather the location would be my least favorite in the ACC.
But it’s still a pretty recognized national brand, with easy access to recruiting Northeast kids.
Same note too on all that for Cuse. I feel like if we revisited this question in 3 years it could be a very different answer for Cuse. I believe they’ve lost some clout with the one mega donor who was always courtside and then tie in the actual arena and the weather, I don’t know that the brand “slaps” as the kids of today would say. The last major Cuse run was the one in 16 and current players would have little memory of that.
Louisville just seems like a toxic environment for a coach. Hard to beat the other factors I guess. And I don’t know where conference realignment leaves them.
Agree w Dragon that we could be 4-9. My concern about our job is the perception that TB has made it work because he’s TB. I don’t think UVA is an easy place to win and I think some** would chalk up our successes to TB be extraordinary and having such a unique system. I don’t view our job as a re-Heat and eat option, takes a unique type of person
UVa is all about fit…that’s why I didn’t put us 3.
There are certain candidates who would automatically get crossed off the list (and candidates who would cross us off), just because the culture is very different. Academics, who you can recruit, ethical standards. It’s a big part of why TB fits so well, and has remained in such high regard. It’s why Holland did. You have to win a lot more than you lose AND meet certain standards to work long term here…hard to find both.
Yeah, especially in the era of NIL and the Portal, there are plenty of “good” coaches who would have zero interest being “handcuffed” by our institutional NIL approach (pay well, but you can’t lead with it) or academics (which probably rule out a number of otherwise good transfer prospects).
Add: I’m not complaining at all, I love it. Just that it does color the largely subjective discussion of “job attractiveness”.
I don’t see why nc state is a sleeping giant. Despite their run in the tourney, they seem pinned in by their two neighbors. Unless one of those two have a downfall, I can’t see nc state competing consistently.
List looks good… conference realignment will change it though. FSU, Miami and Clemson will get a boost if they ever get out of the ACC. Syracuse and Wake will take big hits.