Soccer and males’s basketball have traditionally headlined school athletic departments, however discovering success in each sports activities stays an elusive activity for a lot of faculties. Hitting on each hires and supporting them efficiently has been a problem for even probably the most high-profile schools, however a choose few have managed to face aside. 

The previous few years have been a fast interval of change throughout each sports activities. At one time, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski and Alabama’s Nick Saban may swing this checklist. Now, each are retired. So is North Carolina’s Roy Williams, whereas Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh is again within the NFL. Different super combos have been additionally lately break up up as Mike Elko left Duke for Texas A&M, whereas Arizona’s Jedd Fisch deserted Tommy Lloyd for Washington. None of this components in ladies’s school basketball — in any other case, LSU with Brian Kelly and Kim Mulkey would make a powerful case for the highest spot. 

With a lot turnover, the teaching panorama is shifting virtually each day. Even a powerful look within the 2024 NCAA Match might be sufficient to shake up the checklist. However heading into the 2024 NCAA Match, let’s take a look on the prime 10 school soccer/males’s basketball teaching combos within the nation. 

1. Kansas: Lance Leipold/Invoice Self

One of the best teaching combo in school athletics resides in … Lawrence, Kansas? Self is the consensus greatest coach in school basketball with 16 Large 12 regular-season titles, two nationwide titles and an 809-247 profession report. Leipold, in the meantime, is the fastest-rising veteran on the soccer aspect, remodeling woeful Buffalo and now Kansas applications into constant winners. He is coming off a 9-4 season in 2023 with this Jayhawks program and back-to-back bowl berths (for Kansas!). 

2. Kentucky: Mark Stoops/John Calipari

The Wildcats have a critical declare to the No. 1 spot, however latest outcomes knock them down barely. Stoops has dropping information in every of the previous two SEC campaigns, whereas Calipari has not reached the second weekend of the NCAA Match since 2019. Nonetheless, the general résumés of those two coaches are stellar. Calipari has a nationwide championship and 6 Closing Fours underneath his belt. Stoops has led Kentucky to the best interval of sustained success for the reason that program was led by the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant. His two 10-win seasons match the identical quantity as each different coach in UK historical past mixed. 

3. Alabama: Kalen DeBoer/Nate Oats

The Crimson Tide have been a mainstay on the prime of those lists, however Saban’s retirement drops Alabama again into the pack. Nonetheless, DeBoer led Washington to a School Soccer Playoff Nationwide Championship look final season and boasts a downright foolish 104-12 teaching report, together with the 25-3 mark at Washington. Oats’ inventory has additionally slipped barely prior to now calendar yr, however he boasts two SEC titles and Candy 16 appearances prior to now 4 seasons. 

4. North Carolina: Mack Brown/Hubert Davis

Contextualizing North Carolina’s two energetic coaches is tough. Brown is one in every of solely three energetic school soccer coaches with a nationwide championship, however his crown got here in 2005. Nonetheless, his Texas résumé and 5 consecutive bowl seasons at UNC are spectacular. UNC missed the NCAA Match for the primary time in additional than a decade final season underneath Davis, however he ought to shoot again up the teaching rankings after main UNC to its first regular-season ACC title in 5 years. He additionally nonetheless has a nationwide title recreation look underneath his belt simply two seasons in the past. 

Many of the legendary coaches in school basketball have retired, however Izzo simply retains on trucking. Izzo has eight Closing Fours, 10 Large Ten regular-season championships to his title and simply certified for his twenty sixth consecutive March Insanity. Smith was an excellent rent from Oregon State, the place he received Co-Pac-12 Coach of the Yr honors in 2022. The Beavers went 25-13 in his ultimate three seasons at one of many hardest jobs within the sport, and now he has a contemporary slate at Michigan State to guide this system again to prominence. 

6. Oregon: Dan Lanning/Dana Altman

The Geese have a beautiful mixture of expertise and expertise on the teaching entrance. Altman fittingly captured his eighth tourney look and sixteenth general after the Geese crashed the celebration after successful the Pac-12 Match title, his fourth in 10 years. Altman, in the meantime, has 754 wins throughout 4 teaching stops. Lanning is likely one of the fastest-rising coaches in school soccer after main Oregon to a 22-5 report by two seasons, together with a Fiesta Bowl victory this previous yr. The Geese’ soccer group will probably be a well-liked nationwide title choose in 2024 within the college’s first yr as a member of the Large Ten. 

7. Tennessee: Josh Heupel/Rick Barnes

Like Oregon, the Volunteers boast a mixture of up-and-comer with a seasoned veteran. After 17 years at Texas, Barnes has reworked Tennessee basketball right into a winner. The Vols captured the 2024 SEC regular-season championship and have averaged 24 wins over the previous seven years. Heupel received the FWAA First-Yr Coach of the Yr at each UCF and Tennessee, and he later captured SEC Coach of the Yr in 2022 after a breakout 11-2 marketing campaign. He’s 27-12 throughout three seasons in Knoxville. 

8. Houston: Willie Fritz/Kelvin Sampson

Outdoors of Self, Sampson has a case subsequent to any coach in school basketball after an unbelievable run with the Cougars. Houston has received six consecutive convention championships between the AAC and Large 12, and it enters 2024 as a No. 1 seed with a powerful nationwide title case. Fritz is a newcomer to the power-conference stage, however his monitor report of successful in any respect ranges stands aside. From JUCO to Group of 5, Fritz has received 247 video games, seven convention championships and two junior school nationwide titles. He received nationwide coach of the yr in 2022 as he led Tulane to a Cotton Bowl win over USC. 

9. Iowa State: Matt Campbell/TJ Otzelberger

Otzelberger led one of many quickest turnarounds school basketball has ever seen, elevating a group that went 2-22 the earlier season to the Candy 16. Iowa State captured a No. 2 seed within the 2024 NCAA Match after successful the Large 12 tourney championship, its greatest seed in 20 years. Campbell’s inventory slipped after a dropping season in 2022, however he has six successful seasons prior to now seven years. That is greater than the Cyclones had within the 25 earlier seasons earlier than his arrival. 

10. Miami: Mario Cristobal/Jim Larrañaga

Cristobal stays a lightning rod after inconsistent early outcomes with Miami, however his stints at Oregon and FIU stay extremely spectacular. The Geese received two convention titles underneath his watch, whereas the Panthers received their solely convention championship since beginning as an FBS soccer program in 2004. The Hurricanes had a down yr on the hardwood in 2024, however Larrañaga led Miami to an ACC title and Closing 4 in 2023. He has received greater than 700 video games throughout three stops and guided George Mason to some of the surprising Closing Fours in school basketball historical past in 2006.