Over the past several years, men’s college basketball has seen some of its most decorated and famous coaches leave the game.
Tobacco Road rivals Mike Krzyzewski and Roy Williams retired. Jay Wright and Tony Bennett both did, as well, though given their relative youth, their decisions were a bit more of a surprise. Jim Boeheim stepped aside at Syracuse after a 47-year run leading his alma mater. Bob Huggins resigned from West Virginia after a fateful car ride near a Taylor Swift concert in Pittsburgh.
That slew of exits has raised questions about the future of the sport in an era in which players can transfer more freely and earn money off their name, image and likeness, but beyond that, their departures created a void. For decades, those men had been the faces of the sport. Without them, who would step into that role?
REQUIRED READING: Final Four reseed: Power rankings of the teams left in March Madness
An answer is starting to emerge, with the results of the 2025 NCAA Tournament providing the latest data points.
FOLLOW THE MADNESS: NCAA men’s tournament bracket, scores, schedules, teams and more.
While this week’s Final Four will have two coaching stalwarts in Houston’s Kelvin Sampson and Auburn’s Bruce Pearl, it will also feature two coaches, Duke’s Jon Scheyer and Florida’s Todd Golden, who have yet to reach their 40th birthday.
College coaching is a profession that rewards those with patience, with many having to wait years to climb the ladder and work as an assistant coach before finally getting the opportunity to run their own program. To not only be a Division I head coach but one who has led a program to the Final Four is rare. But just how rare?
Here’s a closer look at the youngest coaches to ever reach a Final Four, with Scheyer and Golden becoming the latest members of the club:
REQUIRED READING: This Final Four isn’t the 2008 March Madness party of No. 1 seeds. Here’s why
Youngest coaches to make a Final Four
Since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams ahead of the 1984-85 season, there have been 13 coaches under the age of 40 who have taken a team to the Final Four, with Scheyer and Golden the latest to pull off the feat.
Brad Stevens, who was 33 years and five months old when he guided Butler to the 2010 Final Four, was the youngest coach to do so.
For all their early accomplishments, Scheyer and Golden aren’t the first coaches at their school to make a Final Four before they turned 40. Krzyzewski, Scheyer’s former coach and boss, was 39 when Duke made the 1986 Final Four and Billy Donovan was only 34 when he took Florida to the 2000 Final Four.
Here’s a look at who is on that list, including what school they were at and what year they made the Final Four:
- Brad Stevens, Butler (2010): 33
- Shaka Smart, VCU (2011): 33
- Rick Pitino, Providence (1987): 34
- Billy Donovan, Florida (2000): 34
- Brad Stevens, Butler (2011): 34
- Tom Crean, Marquette (2003): 36
- John Calipari, UMass (1996): 37
- Jon Scheyer, Duke (2025): 37
- Bob Huggins, Cincinnati (1992): 38
- Mike Krzyzewski, Duke (1986): 39
- P. J. Carlesimo, Seton Hall (1989): 39
- Thad Matta, Ohio State (2007): 39
- Todd Golden, Florida (2025): 39
REQUIRED READING: March Madness winners, losers: No. 1 seeds rule, Big Ten falters in men’s NCAA Tournament
Jon Scheyer age
Scheyer, who succeeded Krzyzewski when the legendary coach retired after the 2021-22 season, is 37 years old. He will turn 38 in August.
Todd Golden age
Golden is 39 years old. He will turn 40 in July.
