The Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball program will have new leadership for the 2025-26 season.

In the early hours of Thursday morning, Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle announced the firing of head coach Ben Johnson—less than 12 hours after the program’s season ended with a loss to Northwestern in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament.

"I met with Ben in person early this morning when the team returned to Minneapolis from the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament and informed him that we were making a change in leadership," Coyle announced in a press release Thursday morning. "I thanked him for his dedication and for guiding the program—one he cares deeply about—for the last four years. Ben is a terrific person, and we wish him well."

"These decisions are difficult and are made after careful consideration and evaluation," Coyle continued. "The expectation for our program is to compete for championships, and unfortunately, we have not done that in the last four years.

"This is an extremely desirable job in one of the best conferences and cities in the nation, and we fully expect to compete at the highest level on and off the court. We provide a world-class experience for our student-athletes, have one of the best practice facilities in the nation, and play games in a historic venue. We offer everything needed to be successful, and we will immediately begin a nationwide search for our next men's basketball coach."

As Coyle and the Gophers' administration begin the search for the next leader of the men's basketball program, Gophers Nation offers six candidates for the job. Throughout the course of the coaching search, we'll have updated coaching boards featuring new candidates, eliminating old ones, and much more.

Please note with each candidate we included their age, salary, if they have ties to Minnesota (the state), and if they have coached in a major conference (MAJOR EXP).

AGE: 58 | SALARY: $2.4m | TIES TO MINNESOTA: NONE | MAJOR EXP: Yes

Anthony Grant is in his eighth season leading his alma mater’s men’s basketball program, after head coaching stints at VCU (2006–09) and Alabama (2009–15). During his time at Dayton, the Flyers have compiled a 171-81 record, boasting a .679 winning percentage. Under Grant’s leadership, Dayton has made one NCAA Tournament appearance and three NITs. Owning a career record of 364-191, Grant boasts an impressive .656 winning percentage and has earned numerous Coach of the Year honors.

GOPHERS NATION'S TAKE: Grant is a strong candidate, but at this point in his career, he’s likely received multiple offers to leave Dayton. He’s well-compensated by his alma mater and enjoys substantial job security. While a return to a power conference could be appealing, leaving a position like Dayton may not make much sense for him right now. That all being said, if the Gophers are ready to make a bigger commitment to basketball, hiring Grant would be a great way to show just that.

AGE: 43 | SALARY: N/A | TIES TO MINNESOTA: NONE | MAJOR EXP: No

McCollum is probably the biggest "boom or bust" candidate in terms of potential. The 43-year-old Iowa native is in his first season at Drake, taking over a program left in great shape by former head coach Darian DeVries. In this debut season, McCollum has led the Bulldogs to a 30-3 record, including 17-3 in Missouri Valley Conference play and a conference tournament title, securing a spot in March Madness.

Before Drake, McCollum spent 15 years at Division II powerhouse Northwestern Missouri State, where he posted a remarkable 395-91 record. His teams made the Division II NCAA Tournament 12 of 15 years, including each of his last 11 seasons. During that stretch, the Bearcats captured four national championships.

GOPHERS NATION'S TAKE: As mentioned, McCollum is a boom-or-bust candidate. He could be the hire that elevates Minnesota’s program to the next level, but with just one year of Division I experience—at a program already at the top of its conference—the risk is significant. Success won’t come overnight, especially with expected roster turnover after this season. How McCollum fares in recruiting is a crucial question that won’t be answered for some time either. This hire is critical not just for Minnesota’s future but also for Mark Coyle’s tenure as athletic director. While McCollum could be a home-run hire down the road, he might also be too big a risk given the current state of the program. Though if it were up to us, he would certainly be near the top of the list and be receiving a call on Thursday morning.

AGE: 51 | SALARY: $1.7m | TIES TO MINNESOTA: Native + Almnus | MAJOR EXP: No

A Minneapolis native and former Gopher himself, Medved has had success everywhere he's coached in his coaching career and has overseen turnarounds both at Furman, Drake, and Colorado State.

In the season before becoming the head coach at Furman, the Paladins went 7-24 under head coach Jeff Jackson. In their first season under Medved, they went 9-21, before improving to 11-222, 19-16, and eventually 23-12. At Drake, a similar story. After seasons of nine, seven, and seven wins, the Bulldogs won 17 games in his lone season with the program. Colorado State in the two seasons prior to his arrival won a total of 23 games, he would immediately win 20 games in his first season with the Rams and has finished above .500 in five of six seasons with two NCAA Tournament appearances in the process.

Is he ready now to make the jump to a major conference program? He should be on the Gophers short list of candidates and it would be shocking if he wasn't.

GOPHERS NATION'S TAKE: Medved would likely be our first call. Like Tauer, he has shown the ability to build programs and has done so at multiple stops. While Tauer may be more of a long-term rebuild, Medved is someone who has shown the ability to do so quickly. A strong recruiter, Medved, with the resources that Minnesota seems likely to provide as the university becomes more dedicated to the program could get the Gophers up and off the ground faster than most.

AGE: 52 | SALARY: N/A | TIES TO MINNESOTA: Native | MAJOR EXP: Yes

A native of Stephen, Minnesota, Craig Smith coached in the region for years before leaving for Salt Lake City. Smith was recently fired as head coach of the Utah Utes—a curious decision given his respectable success with a program that lacked resources. He compiled a 65-62 record and was on track for a third-straight winning season before his dismissal. Quality results but not great results. Again, it's worth mentioning that many college basketball analysts questioned the decision to fire Smith.

Prior to Utah, Smith enjoyed significant success at Utah State, where he posted a 74-24 record over three seasons and led the team to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (the second was secured before the COVID cancellation). He also had notable runs at South Dakota from 2014-15 through 2017-18 and at the Division II level with Mayville State.

GOPHERS NATION'S TAKE: Smith was a logical fit when the Minnesota job was last open, and despite his firing from Utah, he could still be a strong candidate. His time at Utah added major conference experience to his résumé—a plus—but the results, while not poor, were still underwhelming. Returning home to Minnesota could give his career a boost, but the question is how much weight the Gophers will place on his Utah tenure when evaluating Smith’s candidacy.

AGE: 52 | SALARY: N/A | TIES TO MINNESOTA: Native + Coaching | MAJOR EXP: No

Could the Gophers' next head coach be right down the road? This wouldn’t be considered a flashy hire and would likely come with some skepticism. That said, John Tauer has been the head coach at St. Thomas since 2011 and has overseen the program’s transition from Division III to Division I.

After a 10-20 season in their first year at the Division I level, the Tommies have finished above .500 in each of the last three seasons, including a 24-10 overall record this season, with a 12-4 mark in Summit League play.

GOPHERS NATION'S TAKE: We believe Tauer should be a legitimate candidate for the job. What he’s accomplished at St. Thomas has been nothing short of impressive. He clearly knows how to build a program and has had great success finding talent within the state and region. With Big Ten resources, the ceiling could be quite high for the Gophers under Tauer.

AGE: 38 | SALARY: N/A | TIES TO MINNESOTA: Native + Almnus | MAJOR EXP: No

A former Gopher walk-on and graduate manager under Tubby Smith, Ryan Saunders hasn’t coached in college basketball. He jumped straight into coaching in 2009 by joining his father, the late Flip Saunders, on the Washington Wizards coaching staff before returning to Minneapolis as an assistant with the Timberwolves. After a lengthy stint with the Timberwolves, including serving as head coach from 2019 to 2021, Saunders has spent the last three seasons with the Denver Nuggets, where he played a pivotal role in the Nuggets' success, including their NBA Championship in 2023.

GOPHERS NATION'S TAKE: Saunders would be a popular hire among some Minnesota fans, but does he even have interest in coaching the college game? Like the NFL and college football, the lifestyle difference between college basketball and the NBA is significant. Would such a drastic change appeal to Saunders and his family? That remains to be seen. It’s probably worth gauging his interest, but as of now, it’s hard to envision Saunders returning to Minneapolis to coach the Gophers. From Minnesota’s perspective, it would be a risky hire given the current state of the program.

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