More Than Just Chatter — Donovan, UNC Links Are Starting to Add Up

Yesterday’s report by Joe Cowley that Billy Donovan could be showing himself the door at the conclusion of the regular season was quickly followed by more news regarding Chicago’s head coach. While none of it solidified or echoed what Cowley first brought to light, they did present a next step for the 60-year-old. Hubert Davis, successor to the legendary Roy Williams, was fired by the North Carolina Tar Heels yesterday morning. Any time a blue blood college basketball program head coaching vacancy has become available over the last decade, Donovan’s name is one of the most commonly mentioned potential suitors, and this instance has been no different. Using Cowley’s report that Donovan’s patience may be growing thin with Chicago and the professional level as a whole, many have viewed this as a perfect opportunity to return to his most successful level as a coach. At the University of Florida, he won back-to-back NCAA Tournament championships, already cementing him in the top seven all-time in tournament titles. Could he be headed back to the collegiate scene?

Fitting The Trend

In any sport at any level, a widely considered top-ten coach of all time will continue to be linked to open positions for years to follow, whether they’re currently coaching elsewhere or not. Donovan has been no exception to this rule. For example, he was on the short list for Indiana in 2021 when they eventually hired Mike Woodson, he was named a possible replacement for John Calipari in 2019 for Kentucky simply for his SEC ties, many had his name on the log for claiming the University of Louisville job in 2022, and when Bill Self was being investigated in 2020, again Donovan’s name was one of the first to hit the news. These reports have all shared a few common traits: no acknowledgement of interest from Chicago’s head coach, no outspoken desire to leave the NBA, no disgruntled comments about his current role with the Bulls, and no substantial evidence that he was ever interviewed or seriously considered for these positions. All of that to say that, for now, this should be assumed in the same category. As K.C. Johnson says below, this has become a common routine for the Bulls and open college coaching positions lately.

Every time a blue-chip collegiate program has a coaching vacancy, Billy Donovan’s name lands on the list of potential/speculative replacements.

Donovan was quick to dismiss the Kentucky rumors in 2024, and he started his coaching career at that school. https://t.co/Kb9JCrITry

— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) March 25, 2026

Making The Case That This One Is Real

If it weren’t for Cowley’s report yesterday outlining how Donovan’s grown impatient with Chicago, which had some off-the-court factors affecting his passion for the position, and that he’s always preached a winning product, unwilling to sign on for a rebuild, these University of North Carolina ties would be disregarded. But given that Cowley’s report contained a hefty amount of easily traceable details that align with his departure, these links are putting the basketball world in a frenzy. According to widely respected hoops analyst Jeff Goodman, Donovan’s inner circle of friends and family is strongly advising him to step down from his position with the Chicago Bulls. Jeff Borzello, an ESPN College Basketball Insider, says North Carolina is expected to “aggressively pursue” the former two-time National Champion head coach.

"There are a ton of people in Billy Donovan's circle right now that have told Billy Donovan, 'Get the hell out of there.' "

Jeff Goodman speculating on Billy Donovan being a candidate to replace Hubert Davis at UNC

(: @TheFieldOf68) pic.twitter.com/8xJLkJGiL2

— CHGO Bulls (@CHGO_Bulls) March 25, 2026

A new angle to consider is that the NIL system has entirely changed the college game, much to the dismay of many veteran college coaching titans. Does this pull Donovan back into the scene, or push him further away? Coaches like Tom Izzo and Rick Pitino have been quite frank about the negative impacts it has had on college programs, player development, and team chemistry.

With dozens of moving parts each year moving around for monetary reasons, college basketball teams look entirely new with each passing season. Is that something Donovan wants to learn, invest in, and test the waters with? North Carolina would surely be in the highest bracket of NIL spending, but that doesn’t negate the fact that it would have more player turnover than ever before.