UNC is searching for a new men’s basketball coach. Here’s who has to sign off on the new hire.

CHAPEL HILL — The president of the UNC System, which oversees all public universities in North Carolina, must give written approval of any contract for the Tar Heels’ next men’s basketball coach, a byproduct of the messy process that led to the hiring of football coach Bill Belichick and one that limits the role of the university’s board of trustees.

North Carolina fired coach Hubert Davis on Tuesday night after five seasons. A former UNC player and assistant coach, Davis had four years remaining on his contract and is owed more than $5 million in his buyout. The Tar Heels are expected to aim high in their search for a replacement for Davis, targeting some of the most successful coaches in college basketball.

UNC’s board of trustees, whose members played a large role in the process that led to Belichick, have been sidelined by Hans since January 2025, one month after Belichick’s hire. 

Then-chair John Preyer communicated with Belichick and current UNC football general manager Michael Lombardi throughout the process, angering some in the administration. Preyer denies that he negotiated a contract with Belichick.

“Instances continue to occur where members of the board appear to act independently of their campus’s administration in matters squarely within the responsibility of the chancellor,” Hans wrote in a memo to Preyer and Chancellor Lee Roberts.

Hans wrote that “independent and unilateral actions” create legal risk and blur the lines of actual and apparent authority. The memo was titled “temporary suspension of authority regarding athletic operations at UNC-Chapel Hill.” It is still in effect more than one year later.

As outlined in the memo, “prior to submitting a proposed contract or contract amendment to the board of trustees for approval, the chancellor shall submit the proposed contract or contract amendment to the president and receive written approval. Neither the board of trustees, nor any of its individual members, shall play any role in negotiation of such actions.”

Athletics directors Bubba Cunningham and Steve Newmark are leading the Tar Heels’ search for a new men’s basketball coach and the university has hired search firm Turnkey ZRG to assist in the process. 

Cunningham, who is the school’s longtime athletics director and is moving into a new role on July 1, and Newmark, who will assume control on July 1, will consult with an advisory group that includes former players, former coaches and supporters of the department.

"We need our leaders to lead, and I trust that they will do so and lead a great process with a great outcome," said Malcolm Turner, the chairman of the board of trustees. "The board's role is approval so we await the output of that and look forward to that process."

Roberts, who took over as interim chancellor in January 2026 and named permanent chancellor in August of that year, has overseen dramatic changes to the school's football program and now men's basketball, the two most important revenue sports on campus.

"I always come back to Coach [Dean] Smith's formulation about athletics being the front porch of the university, so it's not the house," Roberts said. "Our mission of service, teaching and research to the state and its people is obviously the most important thing that we do, but athletics is the most visible. It's been that way for a long time. I don't see that changing anytime soon, and we couldn't be more proud of our athletics program."

Roberts spoke to the media on Thursday about Davis and his family's contributions to the university.

"Hubert and Leslie Davis are phenomenal people," Roberts said. "Coach Davis will tell you that he met his wife here at Carolina and became a Christian here. His uncle's jersey is hanging in the rafters. Hubert and Leslie are Carolina parents. They love the University deeply, and the university loves them back. They'll always have a place of pride in the hearts of the Carolina family."