March Madness is finally here, but as the season ends for many, changes at the head coach position start to arise.
We’ll track all the coaching changes this offseason here.
Information from The Associated Press is included in this report.
Former coach: Amaka Agugua-Hamilton (April 4)
After leading Virginia to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2000, the Cavaliers fired Agugua-Hamilton after being their head coach for four seasons. She finished her tenure with a 70-58 record, including going 29-42 in ACC play.
Former coach: Katie Abrahamson-Henderson (April 4)
After four seasons with Georgia, Abrahamson-Henderson and the Lady Bulldogs mutually parted ways. Throughout her tenure, she led Georgia to a 69-59 overall record, with only one season above .500 in league play. Abrahamson-Henderson played at Georgia and replaced Joni Taylor in 2022 as only the third full-time coach in program history.
Former coach: Zenarae Antoine (March 9)
New coach: Chris Kielsmeier (March 31)
Antoine announced that she would be stepping down as head coach after 15 seasons. She is the program’s all-time winningest coach, leading the Bobcats to five postseason appearances, and was named the 2023 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year following a Sun Belt regular-season championship.
Following Antoine’s departure, former Cleveland State coach Kielsmeier was named the new coach at Texas State. He spent eight seasons with the Vikings — the last four they earned at least 26 wins. They made an NCAA tournament appearance in 2023, as well as the program’s first Horizon League regular-season title the following year.
Former coach: Chris Kielsmeier (March 31)
After eight seasons with the Vikings, Kielsmeier stepped down from his position at Cleveland State and became the women’s basketball head coach at Texas State. The Vikings under Kielsmeier had six 20-win seasons, six postseason appearances, Horizon League tournament (2023) and regular-season (2023-24) championships, and the program’s first postseason title (2021 WBI).
Former coach: Sytia Messer (March 30)
New coach: Gabe Lazo (April 4)
After four straight losing seasons, UCF fired Messer as its women’s basketball coach. The Knights went 49-69 over Messer’s tenure. This past season, they went 11-19 overall — 3-15 in Big 12 play — their worst season in a decade. Before Messer, UCF made consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.
Following Messer’s department, UCF announced that it has hired former Tennessee assistant coach Lazo, who spent the past two seasons with the Lady Vols under Kim Caldwell. This will be Lazo’s first head coaching job.
Former coach: Tammi Reiss (March 23)
New coach: Colleen Mullen (March 29)
After eight seasons with UAlbany, Mullen joins Rhode Island as its new head coach. During her eight years with the Great Danes, she led them to four straight 20-win seasons and four consecutive postseason appearances. Over her past five seasons, Mullen has an overall record of 110-50, including a 59-24 league mark.
Reiss left to become the new head coach at Florida after leading the Rams to a program-record 28 wins and their first NCAA tournament appearance in 30 years.
Former coach: Colleen Mullen (March 29)
Mullen leaves UAlbany after eight seasons to become to new head coach at Rhode Island. During her tenure, she finished with a 139-102 overall record and won the 2022 America East tournament championship along with an NCAA tournament berth.
Former coach: Candi Whitaker (March 11)
New coach: Anna Nimz (March 26)
Former Northwestern State coach Nimz was named the new head coach of the Lions. Nimz spent six seasons with the Lady Demons, taking them to their first WNIT appearance since 1999 in the 2024-25 season. They finished 18-14 overall in 2025-26 and posted consecutive seasons of .500 or better for the first time in the past decade.
Nimz takes over for Whitaker, who took on the women’s basketball head coach position at Kansas City.
Former coach: Anna Nimz (March 26)
After six seasons with the Lady Demons, Nimz resigned to take on the head coach role at North Alabama. Over her tenure at Northwestern State, she compiled a 69-100 record, but in the past two seasons she finished 34-30.
Former coach: Joe McKeown (March 1)
New coach: Carla Berube (March 25)
Berube was named the new head coach of the Wildcats. The former UConn star has spent the past six seasons with Princeton where she led the Tigers to a 147-29 record and five NCAA tournament appearances. This past season, Princeton went 26-4 overall and won the conference’s regular-season and tournament championships.
McKeown retires after a 37-year head coaching career — 18 of which was at Northwestern — in early March. This retirement wasn’t a surprise as he announced a year ago that he’d retire at the end of the season. Throughout McKeown’s tenure, he coached four WNBA draft selections, led the Wildcats to a pair of NCAA tournament berths and guided them to a Big Ten regular-season title in 2019-20.
Former coach: Carla Berube (March 25)
Berube, who leaves to take over Northwestern, was 147-29 (.835) in six seasons with the Tigers. This season, Princeton was ranked in the AP Top 25 and was a No. 9 seed in the NCAA tournament before losing to Oklahoma State in the first round. Berube, whose Tigers were 77-7 against Ivy opponents in the regular season, led Princeton to four Ivy League tournament titles and five consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, including two victories in the Big Dance.
Former coach: Jose Fernandez (Oct. 27)
New coach: Kristy Curry (March 24)
After 13 seasons with Alabama, Curry heads to South Florida. Curry takes over the head coach position for former Bulls interim coach Michele Woods-Baxter who took on the head coach position after Fernandez, who spent 25 seasons at South Florida, was named the new Dallas Wings coach last October. Curry’s Alabama team posted 20-win seasons in each of the past five years. The Crimson Tide finished this season 24-11 and made the NCAA tournament but fell to Louisville in the second round.
Former coach: Kristy Curry (March 24)
Curry leaves Alabama after 13 seasons to take the reins at South Florida. The Crimson Tide were 24-11 this season, losing in the second round of the NCAA tournament as a No. 6 seed. Curry’s teams won at least 20 games in each of the past five seasons. At Alabama, Curry was 245-173 (.586) overall.
Former coach: Tory Verdi (March 3)
New coach: Robin Harmony (March 23)
Former College of Charleston coach Harmony was named the new Pitt head coach in late March. Over her seven years with the Cougars, she won a school-record 122 games, was named the 2026 CAA Coach of the Year and finished this past season with a program-record 27-6 mark.
Verdi spent three seasons with the Panthers, where he went 29-66 overall. The Panthers missed the ACC tournament after going 8-23, including 1-17 in conference play. The firing came weeks after former Pitt players filed a lawsuit against Verdi and the university, alleging they were subject to abusive coaching methods and that their pleas for the university to intervene went unheard.
Former coach: Robin Harmony (March 23)
Harmony, who heads to Pitt, was the CAA coach of the year and led the Cougars to their first conference championship and NCAA tournament appearance in Division I history. During seven seasons at Charlotte, Harmony was 122-81.
Former coach: Rick Insell (March 19)
New coach: Matt Insell (March 24)
After 21 seasons and 505 wins, Insell announced that he’ll be retiring. He led the Blue Raiders to 21 consecutive postseason appearances, including 12 in the NCAA tournament. They won 10 conference regular-season championships, with six in the Sun Belt and four in Conference USA, and 10 conference tournament titles.
Rick will be succeeded by his son, Matt, who had been the associate head coach and previously served as the head coach at Ole Miss for five seasons. Before his time at Ole Miss, he spent five years on staff at Kentucky, where he was part of three Elite Eight runs.
Former coach: Jody Adams (March 8)
New coach: Adeniyi Amadou (March 12)
Adams was let go as head coach after four seasons with the Aggies. She led them to a 57-71 record and two postseason tournament appearances. On March 12, it was announced that former Rhode Island associate head coach Amadou would become the next New Mexico State head coach. The first-time head coach has over 15 years of Division I experience and helped the Rams clinch an NCAA tournament berth this season after they won the Atlantic 10 tournament title.
Former coach: Rick Pietri (March 12)
After 13 seasons as the head coach at Jacksonville State, Pietri announced his retirement on March 12. Pietri’s one of five head coaches in NCAA Division I women’s basketball history to be the winningest coach at two programs, Jacksonville State where he compiled 197 wins and then previously at South Alabama where he recorded 220 victories throughout his tenure.
Nichols College Bison
Former coach: Dan Nagle (Nov. 7)
New coach: Jacque Rivera (March 12)
Nagle stepped down as head coach on Nov. 7. He led the Bison to their winningest season in 16 years during the 2024-25 season in which they went 13-12 overall. Rivera served as the Bison’s assistant coach during the 2025-26 season, helping lead them to a 13-12 overall record.
Former coach: Octavia Blue (March 11)
Blue led the Owls for five seasons where she compiled an overall record of 61-89 and 35-51 in conference play spanning across the Atlantic Sun and Conference USA.
Former coach: Dionnah Jackson-Durrett (March 6)
New coach: Candi Whitaker (March 11)
Whitaker is making her return to Kansas City after the Roos let Jackson-Durrett go after four seasons. Whitaker coached the Roos from 2006-2012, leading them to two 11-plus-win seasons in conference play, and prior to becoming head coach the first time around, she was the assistant coach for Kansas City under Bo Overton from 2004 until the middle of the 2006-07 season. Whitaker has spent the past two seasons as the head coach at North Alabama, where she went 17-14 overall this season. The Lions are currently searching for their next head coach.
Former coach: Doshia Woods (March 10)
After six seasons with the Pioneers, Woods and the University of Denver Athletic Department mutually parted ways. Woods posted a 66-137 record throughout her tenure with the program.
Former coach: Kelly Rae Finley (March 9)
New coach: Tammi Reiss (March 23)
After being poised to miss the NCAA tournament for the fourth consecutive year, Finley was fired with a 93-75 record over the course of five seasons, including 30-50 in the SEC. Finley had one year remaining on her contract that paid her about $700,000 annually. She is entitled to her remaining $450,000 base salary, which will be paid through regular installments until April 15, 2027.
Just a few weeks later, former Rhode Island women’s basketball head coach Reiss was named the new Florida head coach. The 2026 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year led the Rams to a program-record 28 wins and their first NCAA tournament appearance in 30 years. Reiss finished with a 138-73 record, and her .654 winning percentage is the highest in program history.
Former coach: Alex Simmons (March 9)
Simmons was fired after three seasons with the Tigers. Over the course of that time, Memphis went 30-61 overall and 18-36 in American Conference play. During the coaching search, Memphis’ women’s basketball chief of staff, Shalon Pillow, will run the program.
Former coach: Amanda Levens (March 9)
After nine seasons, Levens will not return as the Wolf Pack’s head coach. She led the team to 126 wins, an appearance in the 2018 Mountain West championship game and two postseason berths (2018, 2022).
Former coach: Coquese Washington (March 2)
New coach: Gary Redus II (March 9)
Following 11 straight losses and failing to win 10 games for the second time in three seasons, Washington was fired as the Scarlet Knights’ head coach. Throughout her four seasons at Rutgers, the program went 42-84 overall and 11-61 in Big Ten play. The Knights were 9-20 this season, and their 1-17 Big Ten record was the worst in program history in conference play.
Washinton will be succeeded by Gary Redus II, who has been on Kim Mulkey’s LSU staff since the 2022-23 season, which ended in the Tigers winning the national championship. Redus has been a top recruiter for LSU, bringing in two of the top classes in women’s college basketball over the past three seasons.
Former coach: Skyler Young (March 2)
It was announced in early March that Seattle U would not renew Young’s contract for the 2026-27 season. In three seasons, Young led the Redhawks to a 15-73 overall record.
Former coach: Carolyn Kieger (March 5)
After seven seasons with Penn State, Carolyn Kieger was fired after the Lady Lions went 84-123 overall. Kieger had one winning season, going 22-13 in 2023-24. But Penn State went 5-31 in the Big Ten over the past two seasons.
Former coach: Joanna Bernabei-McNamee (March 1)
Bernabei-McNamee did not receive a contract extension after her eight seasons with the Eagles, finishing off her time with Boston College posting a 113-132 overall record and 43-94 in ACC play.
Former coach: Ruth Sinn (Feb. 10)
After more than two decades at St. Thomas-Minnesota, Sinn announced she will retire following the 2025-26 season. Over the 21 years she served as head coach, she led the Tommies to a 417-169 overall record, 10-time MIAC tournament champion, four-time MIAC Coach of the Year and in 2012 was a National Coach of the Year finalist.
Former coach: Beth O’Boyle (Feb. 2)
Following 12 seasons and becoming the winningest coach in school history, VCU fired O’Boyle after finishing 8-15 overall and 4-7 in the Atlantic 10 this season. She led the school to the regular-season A-10 title in 2019 and the conference tournament title and an NCAA tournament bid in 2021.
