Virginia Head Coaching Search: Top 3 candidates to replace interim HC Ron Sanchez ft. Richard Pitino 

Virginia announced it will not re-sign interim coach Ron Sanchez for the 2025-26 season hours after the Cavaliers lost to Georgia Tech in the second round of the ACC Tournament. Sanchez accepted the role on short notice after Tony Bennett shocked the college basketball world by announcing his retirement.

Sanchez went 15-17 this season and helped the Cavaliers earn a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament. But the 66-60 loss to the Yellow Jackets served as the final straw for the coach as he was let go by the university after a tumultuous season that started with Bennett's season-changing announcement.

It was the first time since the 2009-10 season Virginia had finished with a losing record. Incidentally, that was Bennett's first season with the program and it was also Sanchez's first year as part of Virginia's coaching staff.

The 2025-26 season will be critical for the Cavaliers as they already secured the commitment of four-star point guard Chance Mallory. He could be a foundation piece that the new coach could use in his recruitment strategy moving forward.

Speaking of the future, here are the top three coaching candidates who could replace Ron Sanchez in the 2025-26 season.

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Top 3 candidates to replace Ron Sanchez at Virginia

#3. John Calipari

The king of one-and-dones could be a human recruitment and NIL machine that the Cavaliers could use if they wanted drastic changes.

However, he's signed with Arkansas but the team's so-so performance this season could cause some doubts within the Razorbacks athletic department and possibly perform a re-think of his contract. If Arkansas decides to part ways with Calipari, Virginia would be willing to snap him up.

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#2. Tony Bennett

Even though he's retired, the situation could call for him to put his thinking cap back on, get his drawing board and map out the plays again. Bennett was the king of Virginia from 2009 until his surprise announcement three weeks before the 2024-25 season.

The NIL issue? It could be resolved if the athletic department is serious about hiring a marketing group or an assistant coach who is an expert or willing to handle the basketball team's NIL transactions.

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#1. Richard Pitino

The son of St. John's coach Rick Pitino has found his calling in New Mexico, leading the Lobos to their fifth Mountain West regular season championship. They could be one of the surprise programs in the 2025 NCAA Tournament as New Mexico made it to last season's NCAA Tournament.

Pitino has been into three NCAA Tournaments (two with Minnesota and one with New Mexico) and has a 57.1% winning record in his coaching career. He could infuse his coaching smarts to Virginia and help the Cavaliers back to relevancy in the ACC in particular and the NCAA in general.

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Are there any other coaches who deserve to be in the running for the Cavaliers coaching job? Let us know your insights in the comments section below.