Louisville parted ways with Kenny Payne on Wednesday – which ends a rough two-year stretch for the Cardinals.
Louisville finished 8-24 and lost 94-85 to NC State in the first round of the ACC tournament on Tuesday. That comes one year after posting a 4-28 record. The Cardinals have made just one tournament appearance in seven seasons since Rick Pitino was fired after the 2016-17 season. David Padgett lasted one year, and Chris Mack was the head coach for four seasons.
Payne – who played at Louisville from 1985-89 – could not get the Cardinals pointed in the right direction. The vacancy will attract an assortment of names, and the opportunity to rebuild in the ACC.
Here is a look at those candidates – including the best candidates, home-run swings and a few names to keep an eye on.
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Louisville coaching candidates
The Louisville coaching job should attract a wide scope of candidates. Here is a look at some names to keep in mind.
Best candidates
Dusty May, FAU coach
May is going to be on every major program’s list. Would Louisville consider hiring an Indiana alum? Well, if that means landing a coach who is 59-11 the last two seasons at Florida Atlantic – a run that includes an appearance in last year’s Final Four – then the answer should not take long. FAU averages 83.0 points per game – which ranks 15th in the NCAA. Louisville ranked 239th with 71.6 points per game.
Darren DeVries, Drake coach
DeVries, 48, has led Drake to six consecutive seasons with 20 wins or more. The Bulldogs are making their third NCAA Tournament appearance under DeVries this season, and that steady brand of success is exactly what Louisville is looking for. Drake is 44-14 in Missouri Valley Conference play the last three seasons. The Cardinals are 11-49 in ACC play in the same stretch.
Lamont Paris, South Carolina
Paris will be a hot candidate based on the remarkable job he’s done at South Carolina. The Gamecocks finished 25-6 in the regular season and are headed for a high tournament seed in just his second season. He took Chattanooga to the NCAA Tournament in 2021-22. Paris is an Ohio native with a MAC and Big Ten background, but his style would translate well at Louisville. A quick rebuild isn’t out of the question.
Josh Schertz, Indiana State coach
Schertz built a Division II powerhouse at Lincoln Memorial and has led a revival at Indiana State the last three seasons. Indiana State is on the tournament bubble, and Schertz, 48, has led the Sycamores to a 30-10 record in MVC play the last two seasons. Indiana State ranked eighth in the NCAA with 84.4 points per game. Schertz brings a style of play Louisville fans would enjoy, and it did not take long to flip the Sycamores into a winner.
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Home-run swings
Scott Drew, Baylor coach
Drew is the most-popular name on message boards now. He’s spent 21 seasons at Baylor – with the break-through coming in a national championship season in 2020-21. Why would Drew leave that steady success in the Big 12 in an attempt to rebuild Louisville? How much money would that take? Drew played at Butler and coached at Valparaiso, but those connections are loose two decades later. It would be a huge get for the program, but Drew has to say “yes” first.
Bruce Pearl, Auburn coach
We could rewrite that last paragraph here, too. Pearl, 63, might have one move left. Auburn made the Final Four in 2018-19, and they have made the tournament each of the last three seasons since a one-year, self-imposed postseason ban in 2018-19. Despite the controversies, Pearl has won at every stop – and he’s led the Tigers to a 38-16 record in SEC play the last three seasons.
Mick Cronin, UCLA coach
Cronin was an assistant at Louisville from 2001-03 before launching his career at Murray State. Between Cincinnati and UCLA, he’s led teams to 12 straight NCAA Tournament appearances. That streak might be broken this year, and UCLA is headed to the Big Ten. Would Cronin be more content returning to Louisville and coaching in the ACC instead? It’s not out of the question but still seems like a long-shot.
Keep an eye on …
Will Wade, McNeese coach
Wade was fired at LSU after the 2022 season while the program faced NCAA punishment for recruiting violations, but he returned this season and has McNeese one win away from a NCAA tournament appearance. McNeese was 11-23 before Wade arrived and sits 28-3 in his first season. Wade led LSU to three consecutive tournament appearances, and the program had a 87-36 record from 2018-22. Would that be worth the risk for Louisville?
Jerome Tang, Kansas State coach
Tang has more of a Big 12 background, and it might be tough to pull him away from Kansas State. That said, the last two years have been productive – and that included an Elite Eight appearance last season. Tang was an assistant at Baylor from 2003-22 before taking the Kansas State job.