While Mike Krzyzewski's prodigal son Jon Scheyer might be excelling to the nth degree as the head coach in Durham, that isn't necessarily for all of Coach K's former assistants.
Jeff Capel III, who played for Krzyzewski in the early 1990s and worked under him for nearly a decade, was named as the Pitt Panthers head coach in 2018. Since then, he has led the Panthers to a perfectly even record at 126-126 overall.
Now, with one of the worst seasons ever since taking over the program (12-19 overall, 5-14 ACC), rumors are circulating that Capel will be out of a job before the year is over.
Jeff Capel is about to get fired... again
Just three years ago, after leading Pitt to a third-place finish in the conference standings and an apperance the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament, Capel was named the ACC Coach of the Year (2023). Clearly, that shininess has worn off rather quickly.
On3's Pete Nakos first reported that Pitt was looking toward the buyout, sharing that the program's boosters had collected the money to be able to afford Capel’s buyout.
However, Pitt's boosters don't actually decide whether or not the team will fire Capel. Pitt athletic director Allen Greene still holds the power to make that call.
#Pitt is reportedly preparing to move on from men’s basketball HC Jeff Capel.
— Mitch Corcoran (@MitchCorc18) March 8, 2026
On3’s @PeteNakos reported that “sources have indicated” that Pitt’s top boosters have worked to collect enough money for Capel’s buyout.https://t.co/0UixHTumCI
A decade and a half ago, Capel was fired by the Oklahoma Sooners after scandal and chaos unfolded in Norman. So, if Pitt decides to part ways with their head coach, it won't be the first time Capel has been without a job since the turn of the century.
Before his time at OU, Capel excelled as the VCU Rams' head coach, which was ultimately caught the Sooners' attention in the first place. After being fired by Oklahoma, Capel returned to Durham as Krzyzewski's associate head coach from 2011 until 2018.