North Carolina Fires Hubert Davis, Will Pay $5.3 Million Buyout

North Carolina needs a new basketball coach. 

The Tar Heels fired Hubert Davis on Tuesday night after five seasons and consecutive exits in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Davis played at UNC from 1988 to 1992 and was an assistant for nine seasons before taking over for longtime coach Roy Williams 2021. 

“We appreciate all that Hubert has done for Carolina as a player, assistant coach, head coach and community leader – he has helped make special memories we will never forget,” UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham said in a statement. “This was not an easy decision because of Hubert’s tremendous character and all he has given to the program, but we must move forward in a way that allows our team to compete more consistently at an elite level.”

By firing Davis, UNC owes him $5.31 million since it happened before April 1, according to the terms of his contract. The figure comes from his remaining base salary of $1.25 million plus $1.8 million in supplemental compensation, which will increase by $100,000 annually for the remainder of the deal. Davis also received $50,000 per year in university-provided expense money, and made $200,000 from Nike and $500,000 from Learfield Sports. 

His total pay for the 2026 contract year is $3,850,000. The compensation will increase by $100,000 in each of the remaining four years. North Carolina said in the release announcing Davis’s departure that it will honor the terms of his contract. 

UNC went 24–9 this season and was consistently ranked in the top-25. The team was led by Caleb Wilson, a projected lottery pick who was lost for the season on March 6 with a thumb injury. The Tar Heels entered the NCAA tournament without him as a No. 6 seed and were upset by No. 11 seed VCU  in overtime after blowing a 19-point lead. 

Cunningham announced in July 2025 that he would step down from his position this summer with longtime racing executive Steve Newmark succeeding him on July 1. Newmark joined the department with the title of executive associate athletic director last summer to help the transition. 

It’s another high-profile coaching search for North Carolina, which hired Bill Belichick as its head football coach after an unusual process in late December of 2024.

Davis had an inconsistent tenure in Chapel Hill. In his first season, the Tar Heels went 29–2 and advanced all the way to the 2022 national championship game, where they lost a nail-biter to Kansas. UNC went into the following season as the No. 1 team in the preseason polls, but finished 20–13 and missed the NCAA tournament. North Carolina entered the 2024 tournament as a No. 1 seed, but was eliminated in the Sweet 16. The program hasn’t won a tournament game since. 

Davis initially signed a five-year contract with the school in 2021 worth $9.75 million. That contract was amended a year later after his strong debut season and extended him through 2028. Despite his struggles, UNC gave him another extension a year ago that pushed his deal through 2030. 

The release said nothing on the status of GM Jim Tanner, a former NBA agent who joined the program a year ago.

North Carolina becomes the most attractive job open on the coaching carousel. The program has won six national championships and has alumni such as Michael Jordan, Carter, and James Worthy. The Tar Heels could chase sitting coaches who have won national championships such as Florida’s Todd Golden or another alum such as Jerry Stackhouse, who is currently an assistant coach with the Warriors.