Jeff Capel Returning as Pitt Men's Basketball Coach Next Season

Jeff Capel will return for a ninth season as the Pitt men’s basketball head coach.

Pitt athletic director Allen Greene and the university announced Friday that after much deliberation, Capel will return for the 2026-27 season despite swirling speculation that Pitt might go in a different direction.

“Over the past several months, I have spent a great deal of time evaluating every aspect of our men’s basketball program,” Greene began in a release. “That process included conversations with Coach Capel, a review of our staff and our roster, our program structure and the transfer portal landscape as well as our investment in the program. I consulted with University leadership to ensure we continue to be aligned with our expectations for the program.

“After that comprehensive evaluation, I have made the decision that Jeff Capel will continue to lead our men’s basketball program. I believe our best path forward is leadership continuity paired with clear expectations and a willingness to evolve.”

The move to retain Capel comes after a 13-20 season — the second 20-loss season of Capel’s tenure. It was reported that money was being raised by donors for a buyout that is expected to be north of $10 million, but Capel will instead remain. He has four years remaining on his current contract. The latest public tax fillings from the university reported that Capel earned $3.95 million in total compensation during the 2023-24 fiscal year.

“This was not a simple decision and I believe you deserve to understand the thinking behind it,” Greene continued in a statement.

“To be blunt, this season fell well short of our expectations. Our level of investment in this year’s team was sufficient enough for us to reach the NCAA Tournament at a minimum. Simply fighting to qualify for the ACC Tournament is not good enough, and I am sure you feel the same way.

“At the same time, our student-athletes continued to compete with effort, pride and resilience through a difficult season. They fought until the end and represented this University with toughness. Effort alone is not enough. We must be better going forward. I know it. Jeff knows it. And you know it. Jeff and I will continue to examine every aspect of the program and will make the necessary changes.

“Over the last 10 months, we have taken important steps to modernize our program. We hired a men’s basketball general manager who has been evaluating our current roster and strengthening our approach to talent evaluation, roster construction and transfer portal strategy.

“In today’s college basketball landscape, teams that win in March are typically anchored by players with maturity and toughness. Building a roster with those characteristics will be a central priority moving forward.

“Our focus turns to welcoming a highly regarded recruiting class, retaining key contributors and strategically using the transfer portal to add experience and balance.”

As Greene noted, Pitt will welcome in On3’s 15th-ranked 2026 recruiting class that features four-star power forward Chase Foster, four-star shooting guard Anthony Felesi and four-star shooting guard Jermal Jones Jr. General manager Jay Kuntz will also receive the opportunity to fully work in the transfer portal to help bolster the Panthers’ 2026-27 roster.

Pitt won three of its last five games to sneak into the ACC Tournament as the 15th seed. The Panthers defeated Stanford in the first round before falling against NC State in Round 2. The Panthers will look to return several young pieces that showed promise down the stretch in Nojus Idrusaitis, Roman Siulepa and Omari Witherspoon.

Under Capel, Pitt has posted two seasons of 20-plus wins, but he is also responsible for two of the school’s five 20-loss seasons in men’s basketball history. In five of Capel’s eight seasons, the Panthers finished below .500.

The 2022-23 season is the high water mark under Capel with a 13-win improvement from the previous year as the Panthers went 24-12 overall and 14-6 in conference. Capel was named the ACC Coach of the Year.

Pitt earned an NCAA Tournament at-large bid in 2023 with an 11th seed. It defeated Mississippi State in a first four matchup and took down No. 6 Iowa State in the first round before falling to No. 3 Xavier in the Round of 32.

The Panthers would post its second consecutive 20-win season the following year with a 22-11 record and 12-8 mark in the ACC. The Panthers became the first ACC team to start 1-5 and finish with a winning record in conference. Pitt lost in the semifinals of the conference tournament and was left out of March Madness. The Panthers denied an NIT bid.

Pitt’s win total took a step back during the 2024-25 season as it went 17-15 and 8-12 in the ACC. The Panthers’ season ended in the first round of the ACC Tournament, and the program declined all further postseason play.

Pitt has shown up in the AP Poll twice during Capel’s tenure. It ranked No. 18 for one week during the 2024-25 season and No. 25 for a week during the 2022-23 campaign.

Capel has helped develop an NBA first-round draft selection in Bub Carrington, who was selected by the Washington Wizards with the 14th overall pick in the 2024 draft. Three other players under Capel have appeared in NBA games: Justin Champagnie, Blake Hinson and Mouhamadou Gueye.

This season, the Panthers dealt with several injuries that included Iowa State transfer Dishon Jackson missing the entire season with a heart condition. Backup forward Papa Amadou Kante was lost in late November and underwent knee surgery. Leading scorer Brandin Cummings underwent a season-ending ankle procedure in early February.

Throughout Capel’s tenure, Pitt has dealt with numerous injuries that have impacted the Panthers’ lineup. Under Capel, Pitt has also had three players arrested. Ithiel Horton and John Hugley were both suspended, but later reinstated to the program. Dior Johnson was arrested in 2022 and plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of simple assault and strangulation. He was later dismissed from the program.

Capel’s tenure at Pitt started with four consecutive losing seasons of 14-19, 16-17, 10-12 and 11-21. It’s best mark in conference during that stretch came during the COVID season with a 6-10 record.

During the 2025-26 campaign, Pitt lost by 22 to rival West Virginia and dropped a pair of home games to mid-major programs in Quinnipiac and Hofstra. Pitt started 1-6 in conference play and saw a season-long losing streak of five during early February. Pitt would go on to win three of its last five to qualify for the ACC Tournament.

Pitt will now turn its attention toward retaining pieces it feels will benefit the 2026-27 roster, while looking to fill out the remainder of the roster in the transfer portal. The college basketball transfer portal opens on April 7.