Carolina has released its salary structure for the 2026-27 men’s basketball season, and right now it has to be a game of wait and see.
Mike Malone is making $7.5 million in his first college head coaching season and his new top assistant Chuck Martin is making $500,000.
Here is where it gets interesting. The second new assistant coach Bryan Tibaldi is making $365,000; while former Tar Heel sharpshooter Brandon Robinson will earn $125,000 replacing Marcus Paige, who joined Wes Miller at UNC Charlotte. Sean May and Pat Sullivan, two holdovers from Hubert Davis’ staff, do not have updated salaries as of yet in the UNC database: May’s is listed at $344,659, while Sullivan’s is $390,143.
NC State released its coaching salaries last week, and the Wolfpack’s top three assistant coaches (Alvin Brooks, Matt Driscoll and Anthony Goins) make a combined $1,375,000. New head coach Justin Gainey earns $1.785 million. Four other State assistants (Bill Comar, Riley Collins, Ognjen Vasiljevic and Patrick Stacy) further bump the Pack’s payroll to more than the UNC staff is making. Stacy, the assistant general manager, makes $85,000.
The big discrepancy is with Carolina’s second year general manager Jim Tanner, who is hauling in $1.05 million in his second season after two years of bonuses kicked in from the contract he negotiated with retiring athletic director Bubba Cunningham and, perhaps, new AD Steve Newmark. All the assistant coaches participate in recruiting whether on campus or across the country and the world.
Tanner and UNC football general manager Mike Lombardi are among the highest paid general managers in college sports. And neither has had success or met expectations that their expertise has warranted. Tanner had his own agency representing pro basketball players in the USA and Europe. Lombardi and head coach Bill Belichick have mostly disappointed with their transfer portal hauls and recruiting of high school players.
The top two North Carolina prep football players in the class of 2026 are quarterback Faizon Brandon from Greensboro-Grimsley, who is going to Tennessee, and edge rusher Rodney Dunham from Myers Park in Charlotte, headed for Notre Dame. They are the only two five-star prospects listed by 247 Sports. UNC has promising prospects in defensive tackle Trashawn Ruffin (ranked as the No. 16 prospect in the state), edge rusher Zavion Griffin-Haynes (No. 19), offensive tackle J.B. Shabazz (No. 29) and linebacker Jayden Griffin-Haynes (No. 37, and Zavion’s brother). Their only other in-state signee is kicker David Green.
State’s lone in-state four-star recruit is WR Tyreek Copper. The Wolfpack has seven other 3-stars. Wake Forest boasts 4-star quarterback Grant Lawless and three three-stars. Duke also has three three-stars.
Carolina has had a dreadful start in the class of 2027, with no in-state commits among the top 64 prospects. State lists five three-stars; Wake Forest and Duke both have four. South Carolina leads the class of 2027 so far with three four-stars and one three-star. East Carolina has signed eight three-stars so far.
Tar Heel men’s basketball will be another wait-and-see affair with Malone returning to the college game for the first time in more than 20 years.
Malone could not convince Henri Veesaar to take a multimillion-dollar package and play another year in Chapel Hill, where he would have been an All-ACC candidate, shooting star and strong rebounder for the Tar Heels. He stayed in the NBA Draft and was selected late in the second round. He is getting used to pro basketball with a nice salary but probably could have done better staying in college basketball for one more year. Certainly, Malone and Carolina would have benefitted from that and will struggle with a revamped roster that is almost completely new in the frontcourt. How they all play out in the ACC is anyone’s guess.
The Tar Heels could be much better in the backcourt with Matt Able, a transfer from State, athletic transfer Terrence Brown from Utah and some highly touted transfers from Virginia Tech and other programs.
In both marquee sports, UNC has invested heavily in coaches and general managers to strengthen their rosters. So far, there are more questions than answers when it comes to their job performance.
Featured image via Chapel Hill Media Group/Todd Melet
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs on 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro during football and basketball seasons.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
Chansky’s Notebook: The Cost of Business Chapelboro.com.
Hence then, the article about chansky s notebook the cost of business was published today ( ) and is available on chapelboro ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Chansky’s Notebook: The Cost of Business )
Also on site :
- PVR Inox’s Sanjeev Kumar Bijli On India’s Box Office Recovery, Cinema Expansion & Cannes Acquisitions Haul
- 1996 No. 1 Hit, Which Resurfaced 30 Years Later, Was Just Reimagined by Two Legends at the Grand Ole Opry
- SpaceX cancela el lanzamiento de su megacohete Starship tras un imprevisto mientras se acerca la fecha límite de la NASA