Reported list of candidates to replace Chris Mack at Louisville emerges

The Chris Mack era at Louisville is ending, and there is already a list of potential replacements for the head coach.

Mack and Louisville are working on a separation agreement to end his tenure as head coach, which began in the 2018-2019 season. The announcement is expected to be made official on Wednesday, with assistant Mike Pegues likely to take over as the interim head coach.

Beyond this season, Louisville will need a full-time head coach. WLKY’s Dominique Yates shared a list on Twitter Tuesday of some potential candidates in whom he was told Louisville would have interest.

Kenny Payne, 55, is a former Louisville player who won a national championship at the school. He later coached as an assistant at Kentucky and has been an assistant with the Knicks since 2020.

Bruce Pearl is the coach at Auburn and this season helped them achieve the first ever No. 1 ranking. The 61-year-old is in his fourth coaching stop and has been successful everywhere, but often gotten into trouble with the NCAA. Louisville is facing possible discipline from the NCAA over accusations made by former Mack assistant, Dino Gaudio.

Will Wade, 39, has been LSU’s coach since 2017. He has gone 98–44 in his five seasons with the Tigers.

Nate Oats has been Alabama’s coach since 2019. The 47-year-old was highly successful at Buffalo (.691 winning percentage) before taking the Crimson Tide job.

Louisville has a history of success and is a school that prioritizes its hoops program. They will do what they can to find a coach who can come close to matching the success enjoyed by Rick Pitino and the legendary Denny Crum.

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